Just Say Yes
by MissUnderstoodXOXO
Summary: Marlee Decker had learned by now to keep herself guarded and keep everyone else out. Everything she's come to know changes when she moves to Beacon Hills and meets a group of friends who seem to be tearing down her walls, including a certain brown-eyed alpha... Rated M for language, future violence, and future adult situations
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, guys. This is the first of my fics that I have ever published. My friend, who has a few amazing stories on here that you should check out (allybz), convinced me that this would be a good idea. So, welcome to the world of Marlee.**

 **Disclaimer: The only things I own are Marlee and Virginia. Everything else belongs to their respectful owners.**

Marlee Decker would have thought moving to California meant blue skies and warm weather for days. Apparently that assumption only applied to Southern California because the sky was a muted gray over the north; it was accompanied by a breeze that was chilly enough for Marlee to don a light peacoat before she left the house. She completely ignored her car sitting in the driveway and chose to walk the streets of a town called Beacon Hills. Ugh, even the name sent a shudder up her spine. Where did such a name come from? There were no lighthouses or substantial monuments to signify a "beacon" of any sort. It was like the founders of the town had tried to combine a bunch of different words until something sounded decent. Marlee had tried her hardest to not be so bitter about the move but it still left a sour taste in her mouth. It didn't matter how many times her mother would gently remind her that it was a chance for a fresh start. Marlee knew they could never outrun the past, the hurt and the anger would eventually catch up to them- then again, those emotions had never left her bones in the first place. They had been a constant in her life for the past two years and she couldn't help but think it would probably be like this for the rest of her life.

Frustrated, Marlee shoved her earbuds into her ears and pressed "Shuffle" on her iPod. Making her way through Beacon Hills, she took note of the businesses and hot spots. There was a bowling alley, a video store that looked like a ghost town, a veterinary office, a- A vibration from her front pocket interrupted her mindless cataloging and Marlee fished her phone out, already knowing who it would probably be.

'Hey, honey. Ordered a pizza for dinner. Be home soon? '

Marlee gave a faint smile at her mother's text message. Despite all of the negative energy Marlee had been giving off lately, Virginia tried to remain as upbeat as possible. The two Decker women had no one but each other (excluding a handful of visits with relatives) for the past two years and it had made them closer than ever before. Her mom would do anything for her- well, almost anything. Marlee had not been pleased at all when the older woman had informed her daughter that they were moving to some random town in Northern California. Marlee hadn't verbalized her protests too much though. As soon as the words "fresh start" had left her mother's mouth, the teenager knew she couldn't mess this up. Virginia deserved a positive change in her life, after everything that had happened. The fact that this was supposed to be a fresh start for Marlee as well wasn't as important. She couldn't imagine letting herself enjoy this new opportunity. Sure, no one here would whisper about her in the hallways- at least for the reason everyone had been for the past couple of years at her old school- but that wasn't enough. She didn't think she'd ever be able to let someone get close enough to her to even think about enjoying herself. Friends had been rare commodity for Marlee for a while.

'On my way home now. Hope you didn't forget the extra cheese.'

Shoving her phone back in her back in her pocket, Marlee let the sweet sound of Daughtry start to lead her back home. She was so out of it, she didn't even realize she had started to cross the street until someone collided with her. Stumbling back a few feet, Marlee opened her mouth to ask the person just what they had thought they were doing- only to watch as the figure in front of her was knocked off of their feet by a car. The person- a guy- fell to the ground and skid a few feet before he stopped. The car had hit the brakes in front of Marlee and the passenger window rolled down to reveal a balding man, who was clearly freaking out.

"Did I kill him?!"

Ignoring the panicky question, Marlee started running over to the guy that hadn't moved a muscle yet. Kneeling down, she placed a hand on his shoulder to roll him over. He looked like he was around her age, sixteen and probably a junior or senior. He was Latino with a crooked jawline and tousled black hair. Warm brown eyes stared back at her, blinking as she blocked out his view of the sky to examine him closer. "Hey," she tried to keep her voice calm, despite being a bit distressed about the entire situation, "are you okay? Do you need me to call 911?"

Marlee's words seemed to make him bounce back quickly as he rolled away from her a bit in order to stand up.

"No, no, I'm totally fine."

She looked up at him, her jaw dropped slightly. "You were just hit by a car- holy shit, you pushed me out of the way and got hit by a fucking car. You are so not okay!"

The boy's lips formed a soft smile.

"You're welcome."

"Okay, you really need to-"

Without letting her finish, the guy turned and quickly started to sprint away from her.

"Hey, get back here!"

She stayed there on the ground for a moment, watching him leave, before she slowly stood up. A teenage boy had just been hit by a car because she was so distracted, she would have been a pile of broken bones on the asphalt. He should have had at least one broken bone but the kid had taken off like it was nothing.

Beacon Hills had just gone from boring to strange in less than a minute.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi, guys! Brooke here, once again. Thank you so much to those of you who have reviewed, followed, or favorited** _Just Say Yes **.**_ **I really wanted to give you all a new chapter shortly after the first one but I didn't have the season I needed at the time. Luckily, I brought 3A and 3B with me back to college, so we should be set for a couple of weeks at least. As an apology, I made this chapter a decent size. (I hope it's not too long.) A couple of quick things:**

 **1\. An extra special thank you goes out to my bae (allybz) for making the cover for this story and for being my trusty advisor whenever I need a second opinion.**

 **2\. I should have mentioned this last time but that first chapter (along with Marlee's story altogether) was inspired by Daughtry's song "Waiting for Superman". Inspiration for this chapter includes Young the Giant's "Cough Syrup" and P!nk's "Trouble".**

 **3\. I will be posting Marlee's different outfits and such on my Polyvore account soon. (My username on that site is 'earthdiva'.) I will let you know when I have started to do so.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for Marlee (who is portrayed by Kathryn Love Newton, specifically as Claire Novak in** **_Supernatural_ ), Virgnia (portrayed by blonde Gwyneth Paltrow), and the car known as Ron Burgundy. (Technically, I don't even own the car. It was the first car of someone I know.) Everything else belongs to their respectful owners. **

_**Beep beep beep beep beep!**_

A hand darted out from underneath purple covers and grabbed the iPhone charging on the nightstand next to the bed. After quickly unlocking it, the irritated teenager placed the phone back on the nightstand. Five minutes later, it emitted the same annoying beeping noise, her backup alarm going off. With a frustrated groan, she once again unlocked the device and turned off the goddamned alarm. The peaceful silence only lasted for a few more moments before the door to Marlee's bedroom swung open and an older woman strode across the room.

"Good morning, starshine… the earth says 'Hello!'"

Virginia opened the curtains, letting the light stream into her daughter's room.

"The light," Marlee groaned dramatically, throwing her covers over her head, "it burns!"

"Okay, Dracula," her mother smirked, "time to get up."

Marlee's muffled voice commented from under the blankets, "I've decided that an education isn't really all that important. Therefore, I am officially allowed to go back to sleep."

"Oh, I see. How exactly do you expect to get a decent job without, at the very least, a high school education?"

"I'll sell things on the black market. I'm sure one of my kidneys would go for a few thousand dollars."

Virginia sighed, "Marlee, you need to get up and go to school."

"I'm taking a mental health day."

Virginia frowned at the mound of blankets.

"Honey, you know that I'll gladly let you take mental health days but not on the first day of school. Give Beacon Hills a chance."

An exasperated groan was the only response from the purple lump.

"Alright, we'll do this the hard way."

Virginia walked to the foot of her daughter's bed and yanked the covers off of the stubborn blonde.

Marlee lifted her head a bit to playfully glare at her mother and grumbled, "Why do you do the things that you do?"

"Don't make me get the bucket." Virginia warned.

Knowing that her mother was completely serious, Marlee swore and swung her legs over the side of the bed before grabbing the iPod next to her phone. Moving past a particularly smug Virginia, the reluctant teen walked out of her room and made her way down the hall to the bathroom. After doing her business, Marlee stripped out of her pajamas and hooked her iPod up to the speakers sitting on the counter. "Cough Syrup" filled the air as she hopped in the shower. Hot water rained down on Marlee as she used this time to collect her thoughts.

 _It's going to be alright,_ she told herself, _you just need to make it through today and then you can come home. You won't have to deal with anyone else for the rest of the day. Just take it one day at a time… for the next two years… for the rest of your life._

Marlee could feel her muscles tensing up, despite the soothing feeling of the water. Every day felt like a year to her and every year felt like a century. Yet, she also felt as if time was flying by. It seemed like only yesterday…

Pulling herself out of those thoughts before they went further down that road, Marlee quickly finished her shower. Wrapping herself up in towel, she made her way back to her bedroom to get dressed for the day.

The sun was actually out today, making everything outside look pleasant. It was the exact opposite of the way Marlee was feeling right then. _Remember, this is for Mom,_ she thought to herself as she put her clothes and jewelry on. _Suck it up, buttercup._ She grabbed her backpack and devices before leaving the solace of her room. Making a trip back to the bathroom, Marlee leaned in close to the mirror as she worked on putting on her makeup. Other than the weird open-mouthed faces girls made when they put on eye makeup, there was a hint of a smile on her face as she did so. Her dad had absolutely hated her makeup since the day she had discovered eyeliner. He always told her she didn't need any of that "black shit" around her eyes. Back then, she would put it on and simply left it as is; now, she knew how to use makeup remover to fix it up as needed.

Once again, Marlee pushed those thoughts away as she finished up in the bathroom and trudged down the stairs. Entering the kitchen, she moved towards the fridge and pulled out the leftover pizza from the night before. Marlee hadn't told her mother about the near-death experience or the mysterious boy that had quite possibly saved her life. She didn't want to put any more stress on her mom than was needed. That didn't mean that Marlee hadn't thought about it herself though. All throughout the night, her mind would wander back to those brown eyes and soft smile. Every time she did so, Marlee would scold herself for giving it another thought. _He was just some guy. Seriously, chill out._

As she sat down at the kitchen table, Virginia walked into the room, looking as fashionable and beautiful as ever. Marlee's mom had always been a very attractive woman, paired with intelligence and a lovely personality. Maybe that was why she was so good at her job. Among the reasons for the move to Beacon Hills, one of them had been a new job opportunity for Virginia. Over the summer, one of the town's most respected attorneys, a man by the name of David Whittemore, had moved his family to London. With all of the animal attacks and property damages that Beacon Hills had faced since the beginning of the New Year, the town considered this a great loss. Virginia had been more than willing to take on the role that Whittemore had abandoned, being quite the successful attorney herself.

"Pizza for breakfast?" Virginia raised an eyebrow.

"The breakfast of champions," Marlee held up a slice of pizza as she replied, "What better way to start the day?"

Her mother smiled, making her way over to the stove and offered, "How about some chocolate chip pancakes?"

Marlee quickly dropped the pizza back into the box and moved to shove it back in the fridge. She pulled out the whipped cream while she was at it; the idea of Virginia's chocolate chip pancakes topped with whipped cream was almost enough to put Marlee in a good mood.

"So, do you know what you're supposed to do today?" Her mother asked as she worked on making the pancakes.

"Get out of bed, survive, and then go back to bed."

"Marlee…"

The blonde at the kitchen table gave an exaggerated sigh.

"I'm supposed to go to the main office, meet with the principal, get my schedule, and attend my classes like a normal student." Her statement practically dripped with sarcasm.

"You're absolutely right. That's a good little Marlee." Virginia teased as she brought a plate of chocolate chip goodness over to the pouting teen.

Marlee quickly covered the pancakes with whipped cream and started to dig in. This was the way it had been for the past two years. The pair would usually sit down at the kitchen table for breakfast and talk about what their plans were for the day, along with anything else they could think of. It was another thing that had made them closer over those years, the Decker women against the world. Well, it was more like Marlee against the world, more so than Virginia. Despite having her moments of weakness as well, Virginia Decker had always flourished and continued to do so.

"Are you excited about any of your classes?" Her mother looked at her with such optimism, Marlee felt kind of bad about squashing it.

"Mom, I haven't even gotten my schedule yet. For all I know, they set me up in the dullest classes they have to offer. It's not like I know what the teachers are like here. I haven't been around to hear if any of them are halfway decent."

Virginia frowned a bit at that. She knew her daughter hadn't wanted to move to Beacon Hills- or anywhere else for that matter. She could only hope that maybe Marlee would grow to like the town or even the people in it. Marlee had become stand-offish and anti-social since everything had happened. Most of the friends she did have weren't the most supportive or understanding, despite having been friends with her for years. Those friendships quickly met their end in due time. School itself had been a different matter all on its own.

"Marlee, I know you weren't thrilled about moving and that you're still angry about it. I want you to know that I really appreciate you being a trooper and going along with all of this. Maybe this will be a good thing for you too. Beacon Hills looks like a very nice town and the people seem to be friendly. Before you know, you'll be making friends- don't give me that look. Honey, just try and let people get to know you, okay? You're a great kid and other people will see that too. I'm sure your dad is incredibly proud of you."

Marlee bristled at that, biting her tongue so she wouldn't spit out a quick 'Well, we wouldn't know that now, would we?' The last thing she needed to do was upset her mother on her first day of work. So, instead of saying what she wanted to say, Marlee simply gave a shrug and replied with a simple "Maybe."

Looking at the time, Marlee decided now would be a good time to head out for school. She rose from her spot at the table and went to put her plate in the dishwasher. She scooped up her backpack before giving Virginia a quick kiss on the cheek and a "Love you!" Just as she started to make her way to the front door, her mom called her name. Marlee turned back around to look at the woman still sitting at the table.

"Yeah, Mom?"

Virginia let out a little sigh before grinning at her daughter.

"Try to stay out of trouble, alright?"

Marlee smirked back at her and gave a mock salute.

"Roger Dodger."

All she got in response was her mother giving her an amused shake of her head.

Marlee strode out the front door and made her way to the car parked in the driveway. Her mom had offered to trade in Marlee's father's truck for a used car that was still in excellent condition. They didn't need really more than two vehicles and they had no use for the truck anymore. However, Marlee had been adamant about trading the vehicle in. She persuaded Virginia into selling the truck to a local dealership back home and using some of the money to buy a car. Despite multiple protests from her mother about how it was impractical, Marlee ended up buying a 1991 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight Royale. Her beloved car was unique, to say the least. The exterior of the car was a burgundy color, as was the interior of the vehicle. The only change in color really were the glossy and dark, wood door handles inside the car and the whitewall wheels. When it came to naming her car, like so many kids she went to school with did with their own cars, it seemed like a no-brainer to Marlee. Thus, the Oldsmobile was dubbed "Ron Burgundy", after Will Ferrell's _Anchorman_ character.

Sliding into the driver's seat, Marlee threw her backpack into the passenger seat and internally prayed that the car's engine wouldn't turn over. Virginia had been a little smug the first time Ron Burgundy's engine had failed to start; she hadn't found it so satisfying when her daughter had called to tell her that the car had broken down at a highway intersection. Luckily, the people that had been at the intersection as well were kind enough to help Marlee push the car over to a side road. She had waited for her mother and a family friend to come help her get the car started back up. Once again, Marlee ignored Virginia's attempts to convince her that a different vehicle would be better. The teen had grown too fond of Ron Burgundy to think about giving him up, not if she could manage to get the engine running. Marlee was pleased to find that her car was willing to cooperate today, despite her desire to avoid school. She pulled her iPod out of her pocket to plug it into the cassette tape adaptor and started to scroll through hundreds of songs, looking for just the right one. A sly grin spread across her face as one in particular caught her eye. Clicking on the song and cranking up her car's speakers, Marlee backed out of the driveway and into the street as P!nk's lyrics lead her way to school.

 _I'm trouble, Yeah trouble now, I'm trouble y'all, I got trouble in my town…  
_

* * *

As Beacon Hills High School came into view, Marlee couldn't help but glare up at the building that had just become her own personal hell. Outside of the school, tons of teenagers were excitedly greeting each other, buzzing with the start of a new school year. It wasn't exactly the weather for crop top and shorts, as California high schools were usually depicted as having. Yet the students all around her were still incredibly good-looking with nice clothes.

Marlee was able to find a spot in the student parking lot next to a pale blue Jeep. Grabbing her backpack, Marlee took a moment to take a deep breath. _Here goes nothing._ Exiting her car, she gave Ron Burgundy an affectionate pat on the hood before she began to march towards the front of the school. Despite all of the commotion going on, Marlee could feel people's eyes watching every move that she made. On the inside, she was cursing herself for not wearing her combat boots or one of her leather jackets, anything that would make her look more intimidating and unapproachable. She put up a good front though, confidently climbing the stairs leading up to the front doors, a cold look set in place on her face. It didn't take too long to find the main office after weaving through students that were mingling amongst themselves. Marlee reached the door mere seconds after two guys started to quickly walk away from where she now stood. Her eyebrows shot up as a man, who she assumed was the principal, could be seen holding up a sword. No, that wasn't a euphemism. The man was holding an honest to God sword in his hands. Shaking her surprise off, Marlee approached the receptionist's desk.

"Hi, I'm Marlee Decker. I'm here to pick up my schedule."

The receptionist smiled at her in surprise and started to speak as she looked through the files next to her desk.

"Hello! You just moved here a couple of weeks ago, right?"

Marlee gave the kind woman a half-smile.

"Yeah, my mother and I just moved here from Wisconsin."

The receptionist chuckled as she continued looking through her files.

"Oh, that must be a real change, especially the weather. Are you enjoying it here so far?"

"I guess you could say that."

The woman- 'Mrs. Dwyer' read the nameplate on the desk- shot Marlee a grin.

"I'm sure you'll enjoy it as times goes on. The kids around here are very nice. I'm sorry this is taking so long, dear. It's my first official day on the job. The last office assistant, well, she…"

Mrs. Dwyer trailed off with a slight frown before perking up and pulling a sheet of paper out of a folder.

"Here we are! This has your schedule, locker number, and the combination. Principal Thomas should be ready to talk to you. Just go right ahead and knock on his door. It was a pleasure to meet you, Marlee. I hope you have a great first day!"

The woman was so sincere that Marlee couldn't help but give her a warm grin. Hopefully that would be the only time her shield would crack that day.

"Thank you!"

Carefully easing towards the principal's office, Marlee glanced inside and rapped on the door. Principal Thomas' inspection of his office, a look of distaste clearly displayed on his face, was brought to a temporary halt by her presence.

"Hi, Principal Thomas. I'm Marlee Decker and I'm a new student here. I was sent a letter saying I should come meet you before heading to any of my classes."

"Ah, yes, come in. Sorry for the clutter. I was on a leave of absence near the end of the last school year and the principal during that time left quite a mess."

The man glanced over at the sword in contempt as Marlee moved to sit in front of his desk. He sat down in his oversized chair and cleared his throat.

"I usually like to meet my new students in order to welcome them to BHHS and get a sense of who they are."

Translation: 'I'm here to see if you're as much of a little shit as your file says and to tell you the rules around here.'

The principal looked over at his computer before inquiring, "It says here that you moved to Beacon Hills from Wisconsin, is that correct?"

"Yeah, my mom got a job as an attorney here in town."

"I see. I've been looking at your file and I think it would be best if you would speak to Ms. Morrell, our guidance counselor, before you head off to your classes."

Marlee's jaw clenched and she could almost feel her eye twitching before she responded with a cool "That sounds doable."

Principal Thomas stood to walk around to the front of the desk and shook Marlee's hand once she was standing.

"Excellent. The guidance office is right down the hall and Ms. Morrell should be expecting you. I hope you find your time here at Beacon Hills High exceptional."

Marlee gave Principal Thomas a fake smile as she finished shaking his hand, immediately letting it drop into a scowl once she was no longer facing him.

"That's unlikely." She muttered under her breath as she left his office and exited the main office all together.

After walking a short distance and entering the guidance office, Marlee found a pretty African-American woman waiting by a door that presumably led into a smaller office.

"Marlee Decker?"

"That would be me."

"I'm Ms. Morrell. Why don't we step into my office?"

Marlee gave a sarcastic "Ha!" before continuing, "Like I have a choice."

Following the older woman into her office, Marlee instantly felt the feeling of apprehension that filled her body whenever she stepped into one of these offices. Sitting down in front of a desk for the second time in the past five minutes, she was more than ready for this meeting to be over with. There had been many like this before, though this would be the first time anyone would be telling her how much of a fuckup she was overall.

"So, Marlee, how are you liking Beacon Hills so far?"

Marlee could tell you what she didn't like. She didn't like the woman sitting in front of her, hands clasped on her desk, a particular glimmer in her eyes that said 'I'm about to psychoanalyze the shit out of you, kid.'

"It fucking sucks." She responded bluntly.

Apparently that was the kind of thing Ms. Morrell wanted to hear because that glimmer seem to increase as she opened the folder labelled 'Decker, Marlee' in front of her.

"According to your file, there were multiple visits to the principals' office and the guidance counselors' office during your freshman and sophomore years."

"Which ones?"

Ms. Morrell looked up at the stone-faced blonde.

"Pardon?"

"Which ones? We had a principal and a vice principal, plus two guidance counselors"

"It says here that you were in all four of their offices at least once each year."

The guidance counselor gave Marlee a look as she added, "You seem to be quite the attention-getter, Ms. Decker."

Marlee scowled, already fed up with this entire conversation. She knew what this was leading up to and if the woman in front of her thought that Marlee might actually offer her something, well then she was just shit out luck.

"Why don't you just get right down to it and ask me the questions that you really want to ask?"

"What exactly do you think I want to ask you?" Morrell smirked.

Marlee leaned forward and narrowed her eyes as she laid it all out on the table, "You want to ask me about my father and about how it affected my life, along with my behavior in school. You want to ask me about my mental and emotional state, psychoanalyzing everything I say. You want to wear me down until I open up and tell you my sob story. Well, let me tell you right now, that's not going to happen."

Ms. Morrell surprised her a bit by smiling and standing up.

"I think we're done here. You can pick up your textbooks for your other classes later but since you're already running late to English, I'll walk you there. It'll give you a legitimate excuse, especially if you consider the fact that there's a new teacher for that class."

She picked up a textbook that looked like it weighed as much as a brick and handed it to Marlee.

"This is your English textbook."

Marlee took the stupid thing from the guidance counselor with a slightly sour expression, all of her animosity receding as the previous conversation was left alone for now. She quickly shoved it into her backpack before putting it on and followed the woman out of her office. They had only been walking for a minute or two when Marlee saw him.

Even if Marlee hadn't thought about him all throughout the night, there was no mistaking that crooked jawline. He was walking down the hall in the opposite direction, towards them, a purpose in his stride. Just as they were a few feet apart, warm brown met bright blue. There was a flash of recognition in his eyes as they passed each other.

After a moment, Marlee asked Ms. Morrell a question that would unknowingly change everything.

"Who was that?"

Ms. Morrell gave the curious student next to her a sly smile.

"Oh, him? That was Scott McCall."

Marlee looked back over her shoulder as the two women continued to walk, only to find Scott McCall glancing back at her too.

* * *

When Marlee and Ms. Morrell finally reached the English classroom, the guidance counselor gave a short knock before they entered. Marlee did her best to ignore the room full of teenagers staring at her, curiously.

"Ms. Blake, this is Marlee Decker. She recently moved to Beacon Hills and she'll be a student in this class. It's totally my fault that she's late. We just had a meeting and I thought I would bring her down here so she wouldn't get into too much trouble."

The pale brunette standing in front of them gave Ms. Morrell a brief laugh as she responded, "Oh, that's perfectly fine. We were just starting to discuss the first book we're going to be reading this first semester."

Ms. Blake shifted her gaze over to Marlee and smiled at her.

"Welcome to our class, Marlee. I hope you'll find it to be enjoyable."

There was something not quite right about this woman. Maybe it was the way her smile almost felt fake, not even in the fake way that Marlee herself would smile. When she gave a fake smile, it always came across in a "You are really pissing me off right now" or "You're a total idiot but I can't do shit about it" manner. Ms. Blake's smile felt more like if she would just open her mouth a little bit further, a forked tongue would dart out and slit Marlee's throat.

At that moment, Ms. Morrell seemed to decide that her work there was done. Marlee could only watch helplessly as the guidance counselor walked out the door, leaving her with this strange woman and the numerous eyes that were still fixated on her form.

"Well, as luck would have it, one of your classmates just left for personal reasons. You can sit in his spot for the day and I'll be sure to have a janitor bring in an extra desk by tomorrow."

Marlee quickly retreated to the open desk, trying to avoid making eye contact with anyone else. As Ms. Blake continued the discussion from before, Marlee grabbed her textbook out of her bag. She had just started to list all of the things that she would rather be doing than sitting in that classroom, when something caught her attention. Marlee couldn't help but overhear the conversation between the boy next to her and the redhead on his other side.

"Hey, Lydia," the guy whispered over to the girl as he examined a bandage on her ankle. "Is that from the accident?"

"No, Prada bit me." Lydia whispered back.

"Your dog?" He questioned, incredulously.

Without missing a beat, Lydia answered, "No, my designer handbag."

At the withering look she got in response, the redhead said as if talking to a small child, "Yes, my dog."

Marlee refrained from snickering at this Lydia girl's sass. Maybe this class wouldn't be too terrible if the redhead always had this kind of attitude.

"Has it ever bit you before?"

Lydia shook her head and gave a sound of disagreement.

The talkative kid turned in his seat to face Lydia and leaned closer to her. This did nothing to hinder Marlee's ability to hear the conversation.

"Okay. What if it's, like, the same thing with the deer? You know, like, how animals start acting weird right before an earthquake or something?"

Lydia shot him a look as she responded, "Meaning what? There's gonna be an earthquake?"

"Or something. I just- maybe it means something's coming. Something bad."

Okay, either this kid thought he was some sort of psychic or he was definitely on something.

 _Something bad,_ Marlee smirked, amused by her own inner thoughts.

"It was a deer and a dog," Lydia tried reasoning, "What's that thing you say about threes? Once, twice…"

Her inquiry was cut off as a crow loudly smacked into a classroom window, leaving a bloody smear behind. Half of the heads in the room turned to look at the splash of red. Ms. Blake hesitantly made her way to the windows as the distant sound of crows cawing reached Marlee's ears. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of dozens upon dozens of crows flying towards the school. By this time, everyone in class was looking at the window as their teacher started to turn in their direction. Ms. Blake quickly jumped back with a gasp as another crow made impact. A couple more birds met the same fate before the sound of glass smashing and the fluttering of wings filled the air. Students started diving towards the ground while Ms. Blake screamed and waved her arms at the winged menaces. Soon, all of the students were either huddling on the floor or scrambling around the room as she screamed for everyone to get down.

 _Fuck that._

Marlee stayed on her knees and started swinging her textbook at anything that dared to fly in her direction. As the onslaught continued, Marlee couldn't help but notice a few crows trying to go after the girl that had previously been sitting in front of her. Without much thought to it, she sprang up just enough for her to lay on top of her desk and smack the birds away from the brunette. Marlee kept hitting the flying little demons left and right before retreating to the floor. Eventually, the sound of chaos had faded away into nothing and the students slowly stood up. The mangled and bloodied corpses of the crows were spread throughout the room, feathers scattered in every direction. It didn't take long for the police to arrive, along with the parents of students who had texted them about the incident. Marlee simply kept off to the side until the girl from before approached her, Lydia trailing behind her. Was everyone in this town good-looking?

"Hi," the girl smiled, "my name is Allison Argent. Um, you're Marlee, right?"

Marlee kept a straight face as she replied in a clipped tone, "Yes."

Allison's smile faltered slightly before she continued, "I just wanted to thank you for keeping those birds away from me earlier. Everyone else was kind of freaking out but you kept it together."

Marlee shrugged and responded, "Don't mention it. I've seen worse."

Her statement earned her strange looks from both Allison and Lydia. The former composed herself enough to say, "Well, thanks again. See you tomorrow." She and Lydia made their way back to a man who seemed to be Allison's father, judging by the way he put his arm around her shoulder. Being reminded of parents at that moment, Marlee couldn't help but grin a bit as she took out her phone and captured a picture of an area of the room with less carnage. She quickly sent her mother the photo along with a text saying 'Told you I should have stayed home today.' Less than a minute later, her phone started to ring, Virginia's name and picture flashing across the screen.

"What the hell happened?!"

"It's only my first class of the day and my life has already turned into an Alfred Hitchcock film."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi, guys! First of all, I would like to say that I am so, so sorry this chapter took so long to upload. Life has been kind of hectic this past week and I also had some writer's block on this chapter. It's mostly due to the fact that the second episode of 3A had maybe five minutes of the pack at school and the third episode had no place for Marlee. So, I had to come up with a lot of original material and I still don't know if it turned out okay. I'd also like to thank everyone who has favorited, followed, or reviewed this story! All of you are so great!**

 **I'll be posting some of Marlee's outfits on Polyvore today so if you search for the member "earthdiva" on there, you should be able to find me.**

 **Inspiration for this chapter came from "Amsterdam" by Imagine Dragons and "Scars" by Allison Iraheta.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for Marlee, Virginia, Ron Burgundy, and Colin Decker (portayed by Gerard Butler). Everything else belongs to the respectful owners.**

The next morning, Marlee was up long before her alarm went off; the insufferable beeping noise had been replaced by "Fight For Your Right". After a lenient Virginia allowed her to go home yesterday following the incident in English, Marlee had alternated between sleeping and watching TV. She woke up at three in the morning and found she couldn't fall back asleep, already well rested from her periodic napping the day before. With all of the extra time she had before even considering getting ready for school, Marlee had spent those few precious hours listening to music and scrolling through Tumblr. This wasn't something that she was unfamiliar with. For most of her middle school years, Marlee had suffered from chronic insomnia. She considered it a good night when she got five hours of sleep. It eventually stopped for a while after her parents forced her to stay in bed until six in the morning and attempt to sleep, instead of letting her get up and read a book or watch TV like she had been. Less than a year later, she was back to being a creature of the night. She felt more energized at night and was a light sleeper, making for a bad combination all on its own. Paired with all of the " _What ifs"_ and memories, it was a recipe for disaster. Some nights just happened to be worse than others.

When the Beastie Boys started to blast from Marlee's phone, she unlocked it quickly and heaved herself off of her bed to get ready. She tried to keep today's shower playlist more upbeat than the day before, an attempt to maintain a positive attitude. She could tell her mother was worried about her, especially after the "day of dead crows". Marlee had thought the name was catchy but she had only gotten a concerned frown from Virginia in response when she had mentioned it at dinner. It was like she thought Marlee would have an emotional breakdown over what had happened. Maybe she would have if this was a year or so ago but Marlee had toughened up a bit since then. Now, she just had to remind herself whenever things went sour. _I've seen worse. I've been through worse._

After she had finished her routine, Marlee went downstairs- using the steps, as she had been scolded just last night for trying to slide down the banister- to meet her mom in the kitchen. A couple of boxes full of cereal sat on the table, along with a gallon of milk and two bowls. Virginia sat in her chair, looking like the ideal lawyer: reading the newspaper while sipping coffee out of her mug.

"Morning!" Marlee kissed the top of her mother's head as she passed her on the way to her spot.

"Morning, honey. How'd you sleep?" Virginia closed her newspaper and set it off to the side so she could give Marlee her full attention.

The teenager shrugged and kept it vague. "I got a few hours in."

That answer apparently did nothing to ease any maternal worries as the older woman sighed at that.

"Hey," Marlee defended herself, "I took a few naps yesterday. Of course my sleeping schedule was going to be all out of whack."

Before this subject could go any further, a _ding_ came from Marlee's jeans. Pulling out her phone, she quickly scanned over the email before rolling her eyes and shoving it back in her pocket.

"What is it?"

"Ugh, just the school telling us that we're meeting in a different classroom for English today. Like we all thought we were going to go into the classroom with broken windows. That's a lawsuit waiting to happen.

"Speaking of lawsuits," Marlee continued before Virginia could cut in, "how was your first day of work? We didn't really get to discuss it last night."

An unspoken agreement was made between the two women: they wouldn't mention any concerns about the young blonde's well-being for the rest of the morning. They could always come back to it later but right now just wasn't the time.

Virginia started to talk about how everyone was so welcoming and excited to have her there. She talked about her new office space and about the way she was going to decorate it, professional yet not totally impersonal. It wasn't until the sheriff was mentioned that Marlee was forced to talk about herself once again.

"The Beacon County sheriff came in and introduced himself. Made a joke about how we'd get to know each other pretty well with all of the commotion lately. He said he has a son about your age who goes to Beacon Hills High School too. Have you met a Stiles Stilinski?"

Marlee's eyebrows raised at that last part. Who would name their poor child 'Stiles Stilinski'? What kind of a name was that?

"Um, maybe. I don't know. I was only really there for one class."

"Oh, that's right. Well, did you meet anyone nice?"

Virginia was smiling, full of hope that her daughter may have met potential friends. Marlee remembered the way her mom had looked at her the day before. She wanted both of them to be happy in Beacon Hills so badly. There was no way Marlee could snuff out that little spark again. So, she found herself fudging the truth a bit.

"Yeah, I did actually. A couple of girls in my English class named Lydia Martin and Allison Argent. I also met this guy, Scott McCall."

Okay, she wasn't totally lying. Allison had introduced herself and she had dragged Lydia with her. Marlee just happened to know Lydia's name as well. Plus, she had technically met Scott before, just not in the way she made her mother believe.

"Ooh, a boy?" Virginia wiggled her eyebrows.

 _Oh God, no._

"Mom, it's not like that! I barely know him! There is absolutely nothing going on there. Trust me."

She honestly could have fallen out of her chair at that exact moment when Virginia literally started to pout. This woman was seriously more invested in her daughter's life than Marlee was herself.

"Oh my God. Mom, if something happens with Scott or any other guy, I will tell you right away. Okay? Are we good? I will tell you all about my non-existent love life whenever you want. Which means until something worth telling you about happens, don't expect me to gossip with you about boys."

Her mother gave her sly smile in return, letting Marlee know that she was going to hold her to that.

"On that note, I'm going to go to school and get myself an education. Learn mathematics and other knowledgeable things. Alright, maybe not math because I suck at that but you know what I mean."

As she went to walk out the front door, Virginia stopped her to give her a kiss on the cheek, leaving a lipstick mark on Marlee's face.

"Ewww!" They both laughed as she wiped her cheek off with the back of her hand.

"Have fun at school, honey."

"That's a good joke, Mom. You should really become a comedian."

* * *

Walking in to the temporary English classroom, Marlee noticed that the desks were in a different layout than the ones the day before. It looked like Ms. Blake might not have to worry about getting an extra desk for Marlee at the moment. She made a beeline over to the window, preferring to be able to gaze outside whenever she wanted and away from the rush of students streaming in through the door. It didn't take too long for other kids to start making their way into the room. She was zoning out a bit, watching the door but not aware of what she was seeing. It was only when two particular students walked through the door did she clear the fog in her head.

The talkative guy she had sat next to yesterday was chatting animatedly with Scott McCall when the latter suddenly placed his hand on his friend's arm and stopped them in their tracks. Marlee was aware of Scott's eyes momentarily resting on her form for a second before he turned to whisper something to his companion. Not wanting to get caught staring at the two, Marlee turned her head to look out the window. Just because she wasn't looking at them, that didn't mean she couldn't hear them.

"That's the girl?!" Earthquake kid half-shouted.

"Stiles!" Scott snapped at his friend in a whisper-shout.

Well, that solved that mystery. _I'll have to tell Mom that I have, in fact, met Stiles Stilinksi._ Well, she hadn't officially met him but she might as well have. The only other puzzle that remained as of now was what they were talking about and Marlee would bet good money that it was about Scott saving her ass.

The bell rang as everyone else took their seats. Marlee faced forward and found herself looking at a mane of fiery red hair. Stiles- _still need an explanation for that name_ \- sat in the seat between Marlee and Allison Argent. Sitting in front of Stiles, kiddy-corner to Marlee was- oh God. This boy was almost impossible to escape. It was like the universe had decided to just keep throwing this kid in her path whenever it was possible.

"Good morning, class."

Ms. Blake strolled into the classroom, looking just as chipper and full of bullshit as she had yesterday. Actually, that was a bit of an over exaggeration. There was almost a nervous energy when she entered the room, like the crow incident had shaken her. Virginia had worried about Marlee being affected by it all when she should have been worried about her daughter's English teacher. This class would prove to be nothing but a waste, at least for the day. It was doubtful that anyone would be able to keep their focus on Charles Marlow when they could be discussing theories behind the mass bird suicide-

Marlee jerked herself out of her thoughts just in time to hear roll call. A few names were called off, one by one, followed by confirmations from the students.

"Marlee Decker?"

Marlee half-heartedly raised her hand while answering, "Here."

She caught the slight turn of the head sitting diagonal from her, glancing at her. She had found out his name and now he knew hers. It seemed so insignificant at the time but it would only be later on that Marlee would realize it was a turning point. Sometime after the woman up front had stopped listing off names and had started to talk about _Heart of Darkness_ , Marlee propped her head up by resting her chin on her hand. She began to lose herself in her thoughts as she kept her eyes on the world outside, unaware of the brown eyes watching her.

Later, when she walked into her Economics class, Marlee wasn't even surprised that Scott and Stiles shared this class with her as well. She had accepted that once again, The Powers That Be were working against her. Walking across the room, making sure to look straight in front of her, she moved to take a seat by the window again. As soon as Marlee sat down, the guy sitting behind her leaned forward.

"Hey," he grinned at her "you new here?"

Marlee kept her gaze fixed on the front of the room as she answered, "Now, what would give you that idea?"

"Trust me, I'd remember a face like yours."

Turning around to face the flirt, she raised an eyebrow.

"I bet you say that to all of the girls."

The boy's smile grew even wider.

"Only the pretty ones."

"Greenberg!"

Marlee watched as a piece of chalk flew across the room and nailed the guy talking to her square in the forehead.

"Stop bothering the new girl!"

A wild-eyed man was the culprit, presumably the teacher, as he was way too old to be in high school. He seemed to glare at the teenage boy for a minute before letting his eyes sweep over the class.

"Well, another summer has come and gone, so wipe those smirks off of your faces. This is school, school isn't supposed to be fun."

 _Is he being serious right now or…?_

"Now, on to today's lesson- the stock market."

He slammed a book down on his desk.

"The stock market is based on two principles. What are they?"

Of course, without fail, Scott's hand was the only hand that went up.

The teacher waved him off, "Yes, McCall, you can go to the bathroom. Anybody else?"

Scott lowered his hand before hesitantly answering, "Uh, no- no, Coach, I know the answer."

Coach- _Coach?_ –started to cackle for a moment until he registered Scott's straight face.

"Oh, you're serious." Coach said, sounding surprised.

"Y-yeah. It's risk and reward."

"Wow!" The teacher started to move towards Scott. "Who are you? And what have you done to McCall?"

Scott smiled and gave a chuckle at their teacher's antics.

"Don't answer that. I like you better." Coach pointed a finger at Scott for emphasis and whispered, "I like you better."

He moved back towards the front of the room before asking, "Does anybody have a quarter? A quarter."

As this went on, Marlee's eyes wandered to the corner of the board to see the word "Finstock".

 _Huh, I guess that's his name. Good to know, seeing as he's my teacher and all…_

"Yep." Stiles suddenly piped up as he reached into his pocket to grab a quarter. He fumbled for a second before pulling something out of his pocket. Almost as if it was happening in slow motion, a condom slipped out of his fingers and started to fall to the floor. Everyone's eyes followed it to the ground before placing a hand over their mouth or biting their lip to hold back bouts of laughter.

Coach Finstock approached Stiles' desk with raised eyebrows and bent over to pick up the condom.

"Stilinski, I think you, uh- you dropped this."

As he handed it back, he gave his student a smirk. "And congratulations."

At that, bursts of giggles could be heard throughout the classroom.

Proceeding as though nothing had happened, Finstock carried on with the lesson.

"Risk and reward. Put the quarter in the mug…" taking a mug off of his desk and setting it on the floor, "win the reward."

Kneeling down, the coach looked at the mug with intensity.

"Okay, watch Coach."

Sure enough, the quarter went in and the class broke out into a brief round of applause.

"Huh? Huh? That's how you do it!"

He turned to a good-looking guy near the front.

"Okay. Danny. Risk, reward?"

Danny caught the quarter before asking the magic question, "What's the reward?"

"You don't have to take the pop quiz tomorrow." Finstock responded with a flourish.

"Uh, Coach, it's not a pop quiz if you tell us about it."

"Danny, you know I really expect more from you at this point. Really."

Marlee held back a snicker at her new and unusual teacher.

"McCall- risk, reward? The risk- if you don't put that quarter in the mug, you have to take the pop- the- the quiz and- AND you have to write an essay. Risk, more work. Reward, no work at all. Or choose not to play."

 _Damn, that's harsh._ Marlee frowned. _Just because Danny pointed out that it's not an actual pop quiz now, Scott gets punished. Damn, Danny…_

"But isn't this just chance?"

"No. You know your abilities, your coordination, your focus, your past experience- all factors affecting the outcome. So, what's it gonna be, McCall? More work, no work, or choose not to play?"

Scott gazed at the quarter for a moment, rolling and examining it between his fingers before setting it down on his textbook with finality. Marlee felt like there was a lot more going on in the boy's head than just an Economics lesson; this wasn't just a decision about a quarter and a mug.

"No play. Okay, who's next? Who wants the quarter?"

Stiles tapped out a drumbeat on his textbook as he eagerly stood up.

"There you go! There's a gambling man! Come on! Step up, step up." Coached clapped as Stiles got into position. "Alright, Stilinski."

The classroom door opened and two men wearing police uniforms stepped into the room, looking concerned.

"Stiles…"

"Yeah, Coach, I got it."

"Stiles."

The boy finally looked up and locked eyes with the officer that spoke for a moment before leaving the room.

For the rest of class, Marlee stared out the windows, no longer caring enough to pay attention.

* * *

As Marlee walked into the lunchroom, she could feel her nerves practically buzzing. This would be her first lunchtime at her new school and she was anything but excited about it. Sitting alone in a room full of socializing people did not appeal to her at all. Her eyes went from table to table before landing on a table that contained four familiar faces. Scott and Stiles sat on one side with Allison and Lydia sitting across from them. Marlee bit her lip and stared at the guy who had saved her life without any thought of his own well-being. She had never gotten the chance to thank him. As much as she didn't want to talk to anyone and though she was still suspicious of the group, she knew she had to show Scott some gratitude. Marlee took a minute to compose herself before squaring her shoulders and making her way towards them.

As she walked up to their lunch table, the group got noticeably quieter, turning to gaze up at her. Marlee did her best to keep her focus on Scott, wanting to get this over without much incident. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath at that moment, waiting for the accusations and the questions.

"Hey, Scott, right?"

He paused for a second before responding, "Yeah?"

Marlee gave him a nod as she continued, "I just wanted to say 'Thanks for the save the other day.' I probably would have been roadkill if you hadn't pushed me out of the way."

The teenagers sitting at the table waited for her to add on to her statement, demanding to know how Scott had walked away relatively unscathed. All they received was an odd look from the blonde.

"Okay then… bye."

Marlee turned around, glad to have that over and done with, when a voice behind her called out, "Hey, wait a second!"

She faced the table once again to see Scott had risen from his spot, about to walk after her. She quirked an eyebrow at him, silently asking him what he wanted. Only for Scott to ask her what she wanted.

"Do you want to sit with us?"

Stiles smacked him on the arm and hissed, "Scott!", only to cry out a second later as Lydia kicked him in the shin under the table.

"Stiles," Lydia snapped at him, "don't be rude!"

Marlee narrowed her eyes at Scott, who was still looking at her, a friendly and inviting expression on his face.

"I don't think that would be a good idea."

"Why not?" He tilted his head a bit in confusion.

Crossing her arms, Marlee kept her glare steady as she spoke, a hint of annoyance in her tone, "First of all, I don't know you. Second, it seems like your friend isn't too fond of your offer."

He wasn't backing down that easily though. Looking as confident as ever, he countered her argument.

"Well, you know my name is Scott and I know that your name is Marlee. Allison and Lydia told me what you did yesterday in English. That took a lot of guts. Stiles here," Scott clapped his pale friend on the shoulder, who shot him a look that said 'Don't drag me into this', "would be happy for you to join us. Isn't that right?"

"I guess so." Stiles said.

"Yeah, the answer is still 'No.'" Marlee retorted.

Once again, she turned to walk away from the table and again, she was stopped by one Scott McCall. Except this time he went for a more effective tactic.

"You owe me one."

She spun around, the epitome of the saying 'If looks could kill.'

"What?" She spat out at him.

He didn't waver as he repeated, "You owe me one. Like you said, I saved your life. Sit with my friends and I, the two of us can call it even."

Marlee had to admit it was pretty clever. Why he wanted her to sit with his friends, she had no idea. As much as she was opposed to the idea, she had a feeling that Scott wouldn't give up until her butt was firmly planted at a seat around the table.

"Fine," she replied through gritted teeth, "but that doesn't mean I have to like it."

Scott simply smiled at her and sat back down, leaving room between himself and an affronted-looking Stiles. Marching her way over, Marlee set her backpack down on the seat before walking to the lunch line to get some food. The entire time she waited to get her mystery meat or whatever this school served, her eyes would wander back to the group that was holding her captive. Stiles seemed to be lecturing an amused Scott, complete with spastic hand gestures and furrowed eyebrows. Allison and Lydia were talking amongst themselves, looking more at ease than their hyperactive friend.

After getting her tray of cafeteria food (that actually looked edible), she reluctantly made her way back to the quartet. Shoving her bag onto the ground, Marlee plopped down in her seat with a frustrated sigh. There was an awkward silence that no one knew how to break but to everyone's surprise, Stiles took the lead.

"So, where did you move here from?"

"Wisconsin."

Allison perked up at that and gave Marlee a smile. "I was born in Wisconsin."

Despite her best efforts to make her annoyance with everyone known, Marlee's lips twitched up into a smile just as quickly as it disappeared. Not quick enough for Scott to miss though.

The beta knew he had been right to have Marlee sit with his friends at lunch. Sure, the girl sitting next to him was a bit rough around the edges but he could see there was more to her than that. He had watched her periodically in English and Economics, curious about the girl who had shown up just as the Alpha pack had made their presence known. She didn't smell like a werewolf, so that possibility was off of the table. Scott had still noticed little things about her, things she probably didn't even know she was doing. Marlee would use her pencil to tap out a rhythm on the edge of her desk or wrinkle her nose a little bit when she glanced at the clock and found time wasn't passing fast enough. She was doing these actions habitually but what had caught his attention the most was something that maybe no one else had ever noticed before. When Marlee would look out the window, the expression of indifference she would have on display dropped; for a moment, she had the face of someone who felt the weight of the world on their shoulders. Like someone had ripped the rug out from underneath her and turned everything upside down. Scott knew exactly what that felt like.

"So, you're a Brewers fan then, right?" Stiles questioned.

Marlee shrugged. "Yeah, kind of comes with the turf."

He snorted at that, mumbling something about Ryan Braun under his breath.

"Oh yeah," her look of offense was almost comical, "what are you, a Dodgers fan?"

"Nah, I'm a Mets kind of guy." He looked proud as he said that, only to have Marlee give him a condescending smirk in return.

"Oh, you mean the _other_ New York team."

In that instant, the two engaged in a verbal battle, debating whether or not the Yankees were superior to the Mets. No one could even begin to comprehend how this had happened so quickly. The argument went on for a couple of minutes until she asked him how many times the Mets had won the World Series. Stiles had sputtered before muttering "Shut up."

Marlee looked particularly smug as she turned back to the rest of the table.

"I'm not even that big of a baseball fan. I just like to watch him get all flustered."

The redhead and brunette sitting across from her started laughing as Stiles' jaw dropped a bit.

"You- I- what the hell- evil…"

For the rest of the time, Marlee tried to contain herself a bit more, already feeling like she was losing her control. Later, she would probably sit alone in her room and curse herself for being so fucking stupid and sitting with them. At the moment though, if someone asked Marlee if she was enjoying herself, she'd lie.

* * *

The next day started out without any major event and Marlee assumed it would remain tedious. It wasn't until she sat down at her desk in the replacement English room that things seemed to get interesting. Lydia Martin took her seat in front of Marlee and turned around to face her.

"Hi," The redhead smiled at her.

"Hi…?" Marlee replied, wondering what exactly the girl in front of her wanted.

"Listen, I know this is kind of an awkward thing to ask but I, um, was wondering if maybe, possibly, you could give me a ride home after school. See, a deer ran straight towards my car so it's at the mechanic's and Allison has an errand to run after school and I'll totally pay you…"

"Lydia," Marlee cut off the ramble, "I'll give you a ride after school. Just stop with the babbling. I'm going to be in the library during lunch, catching up on some reading. Give me your number and I'll text you when I'm ready to leave."

The two girls exchanged phones to enter their numbers before Ms. Blake started class.

All throughout the day, Marlee couldn't help but question why she had agreed to give the other girl a ride. She certainly didn't want or need more human interaction than was absolutely necessary. She wasn't looking to make friends or grow attached to anyone.

 _I just did it so she would stop talking. That's all. If I hadn't agreed, she would've went on and on and on. It doesn't mean anything._

When school was over, Marlee got what she needed out of her locker and went to wait out front. She sent Lydia a text saying 'Hey, at the front of the school. Ready when you are.' Shoving her hands in her pockets, Marlee offhandedly watched as students piled into their cars.

"Hey!"

Lydia walked up to Marlee, looking just as immaculate as she had that morning. Whether the redhead had fixed her makeup and hair sometime throughout the day or if it was just that cooperative, Marlee didn't know.

The two made their way across the lot to Ron Burgundy, Lydia stopping to admire the certain quirkiness that the car held.

"Nice car."

"Thanks."

Placing their backpacks in the backseat, the girls got in and Marlee silently prayed that the engine would start without a hitch. The universe was obviously screwing with her again because the engine turned over twice before the car came to life. Marlee could feel Lydia's gaze and her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"So, who did you move here with again?"

"My mom."

"What does she do?"

"She's a lawyer. She heard about some other guy who moved his family out of Beacon Hills and thought she could fill the position."

"The Whittemore family." Lydia said this with a wistful smile.

Marlee glanced over at the girl before bringing her attention back to the road.

"You know them well?"

"I dated his son, Jackson, for a couple of years."

"I'm sorry. That must have sucked."

"Eh, it's okay. We mutually broke up but we're still going to try and remain friends."

The rest of the ride was filled with chatter about this and that. Marlee found herself surprisingly enjoying Lydia's presence. There was something radiant about the young woman in the passenger seat. She gave off a vibe that said she had been through a lot but she wasn't going to let it keep her down. Marlee could vaguely empathize with that, as she wanted to have that kind of attitude but struggled to gain it.

Eventually, they reached their destination. Lydia's house was pretty big for just being her and her mother- not that Marlee could really talk- but there was something almost depressing about it. It was a house but it didn't seem like a home, it looked too cold and empty. The fact that Lydia's mother didn't seem to be home didn't help matters at all. Lydia sighed before reaching for her bag.

"Thanks for the ride," she gave Marlee an attempt at a smile, "I appreciate it."

Acting on impulse, Marlee stopped Lydia from leaving the car.

"Lydia, wait!"

It was silent for a moment until Marlee continued, "Do you want to come over to my house for a little bit?"

The redhead slowly nodded before sitting all the way back in her seat and shut the passenger door. Music filled the vehicle as the two girls didn't speak to each other. They didn't need words to convey what had just happened. For whatever reason, Marlee had decided to bring Lydia Martin into her clusterfuck of a life. She was growing strangely fond of the girl sitting next to her and as much as she wanted to fight it, she found that maybe it would be easier if she didn't.

When Ron Burgundy pulled into the Deckers' driveway, Marlee couldn't help but compare the Martin house to her own. While she and her mother hadn't been living in Beacon Hills for that long, there were still homey touches to the house. Virginia had hung a stain glass decoration in one of the front windows and there was a ding in one of the wooden porch steps from Marlee dropping a microwave on it. (Only to find out after Marlee had brought it in, that there was already a built-in microwave.)

"My mom isn't home yet but she should be in about an hour or so. She'll probably invite you to stay for dinner."

Lydia looked a bit surprised at that.

"I wouldn't want to intrude or anything."

Marlee snorted in response.

"Please, she'll be more offended if you don't stay for dinner. Besides, I, um- I already kind of told her that I met some nice people. I didn't want her to worry about me being a total loser so I mentioned you, Allison, and Scott."

"I suppose you didn't tell her exactly how you met Scott." Lydia teased.

"Oh God, no! She probably would have sent me to the first day of school covered in bubble-wrap."

The duo made their way into the house and Lydia got the grand tour of the place. When they entered Marlee's room, the blonde didn't hesitate to dump her bag on the floor and throw herself onto her bed. Her companion was quietly assessing the room, taking everything in. If there was one way to find out who a person really was, you just needed to take a look at their room. Marlee had only moved in a couple of weeks before so it wasn't exactly a permanent setup but it was close enough to being one. One of the things that caught Lydia's eye was the large bookcase against a wall. Various books, movies, and knick-knacks filled the shelves, clearly something that Marlee took pride in. Upon further inspection, she noticed an object that seemed to be quite special, as it had an entire shelf all to itself.

"Who's this?" Lydia questioned as she picked up the picture frame sitting on the bookshelf. Marlee sat up straight to see what Lydia was referring to and almost immediately, a feeling of hollow nostalgia bloomed in her chest.

That photograph was one of Marlee's favorites. Her father was present, in every sense of the word. It was taken a mere few weeks before everything had happened. Colin had been washing his truck in the driveway when a mischievous Marlee had ran by with a bucket full of water. She had stopped to take a minute and laugh at her soaked father, only to be sprayed with the hose. After the two of them had finished acting like children in a water fight, Virginia had insisted on a picture. Colin had Marlee in a loose headlock and both were grinning brightly at the camera, their eyes full of mirth.

"That's my dad," Marlee answered, subconsciously playing with a lock of her hair.

When Lydia's eyes met Marlee's, the redhead's gaze softened.

"When did he die?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Marlee's entire body jolted with shock. How had Lydia known? Most people who didn't live in her small hometown would just assume her dad had left or that her parents were divorced. How she wished it was that simple.

"How- how did you know?" Marlee's voice shook a bit as she spoke, much to her displeasure. She couldn't afford to show weakness.

"I just got this feeling when I saw the picture but it was mostly your eyes that told me."

"My eyes?"

"You've got this look in your eyes that reminds me of Stiles and Allison. It's kind of a combination between the two. You sort of have that soft, faraway look that Stiles will get when he talks about his mom. There's also a bit of Allison in there, this mix of different emotions. It's like even though it happened a while ago, it's still fresh to you."

"Like an open wound." Marlee whispered.

Marlee was quiet for a moment, taking everything in for a minute. This wasn't going the way she thought it would at all. She was supposed to move to Beacon Hills, remain a cold-hearted bitch, survive the last two years of high school, then get the hell out of dodge. Yet here she was, sitting in front of a girl she willingly invited over to her house after giving her a ride home. To top it all off, Marlee had actually offered to drive this girl. It was like she had entered _The Twilight Zone_ or something. Whatever was in the water here in Beacon Hills, she didn't want any more of it. This shit was ridiculous.

Despite all of that, Marlee found herself wanting to confide in someone. Her former friends back home had heard the gist of everything through the news and the grapevine rather than from her. They had been offended that she hadn't told them what exactly had happened. As if that was something she really wanted to talk about.

Marlee made a compromise in her mind. She wouldn't tell Lydia everything just yet but she would divulge some information.

"He died a little over two years ago. So, yeah, it's kind of a touchy subject still but time has passed."

Lydia Martin may have been known as a queen bee at one point, wanting all of the gossip and information she could get her hands on. Over the past few months, she had gone through a bit of a transformation. This Lydia was more understanding and considerate of others. She knew when she shouldn't push her luck. So, she didn't ask for any more information about Marlee's father after that. If Marlee wanted to tell Lydia any more, then it would be when she felt like she was ready.

"So, it's about time for you to show me to your closet. I want to see what I have to work with."

 **I'd really appreciate it if this chapter could get some reviews, just to see how people are liking the story so far.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm (barely) awake and alive! Again, thank you to everyone that has added this story to their favorites, followed, or reviewed! (I am totally prepared to beg for more reviews. I want to know what you guys think of this so far.) I had planned on getting this chapter out days ago but my spring break started the other day so I decided to wait until I had plenty of time without as many distractions. This chapter was originally supposed to include original material and Episode 4 but it started to get lengthy enough that I decided to leave more original material and the episode for the next chapter. I hope this makes up for having to wait so long.**

 **1\. If you guys want, you can follow me on Tumblr. I'm still "missunderstoodxoxo" on there. I'm also still posting Marlee's outfits and such on my Polyvore account. My username is "earthdiva".**

 **2\. This chapter was inspired by "This Is Roman Gospel" (a mashup of Panic! At the Disco's "This Is Gospel" and Halsey's "Roman Holiday", you should really look it up on YouTube), "Sort Of" by Silversun Pickups, and "Black" by Kari Kimmel.**

 **Disclaimer: The only things that I own are Marlee Decker, Virginia Decker, Collin Decker, the car known as Ron Burgundy, and Edgar. (I also own the minor characters mentioned, Sarah and Brady.) Everything else belongs to their respectful owners.**

To say Virginia liked Lydia would be an understatement. She absolutely adored the redhead that her daughter had brought home.

After Lydia had approved of Marlee's wardrobe, for the most part, the two of them had gone downstairs to watch _Sixteen Candles_. Just as Sam agreed to loan Farmer Ted her panties, Virginia walked through the front door.

"Hey, honey, what do you want for dinner? I was thinking maybe some fettuccine alfredo but if you want something else…"

The matriarch trailed off as she took in the view in front of her. Marlee looked at ease on the couch with Lydia curled up on the opposite end. The two teenage girls hugged pillows to their chests, in awe of the iconic eighties' movie. No matter how many times Marlee watched a John Hughes film, each time left her as enchanted as the first.

"Who's this?" Virginia smiled, filled with joy that her daughter was positively interacting with someone.

"Mom, this is Lydia Martin. Lydia, this is my mother, Virginia Decker."

Lydia stood up and smoothed the skirt of her dress before stepping forward to shake the stylish woman's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Decker."

"Oh, I like you. Very polite." Virginia's smile turned into a grin. "Please, call me Virginia. Marlee, have you asked Lydia if she would like to stay for dinner?"

"Already did, Mom. I told her you wouldn't let her leave the house alive if she didn't."

The older woman's jaw dropped in a look of mock offense and placed a hand over her heart.

"Moi? I would never… you better not be telling people that. Imagine the gossip."

Marlee made a grand gesture with her hands.

"I can see it now. 'Local lawyer commits murder.' That would actually be an interesting plot for a movie. A lawyer gets rid of a few people, frames someone else for the murders, and ends up being the defendants' attorney."

Lydia probably should have been at least a little bit uneasy at the slightly morbid mother-daughter banter but she found herself to be highly amused instead. She wished her own mother was like that with her, being home regularly to have dinner and make jokes.

"So, is fettuccine alfredo okay with the two of you? I'll make some breadsticks too. Then maybe we could have some of that ice cream that Marlee's been stashing at the back of the freezer."

"Who told you about that?!"

Chuckling, Virginia gestured for Marlee to sit back down on the couch and situated herself between the two girls.

"I saw this when it was in theatres, you know?"

"Back when television was in black and white and the dinosaurs roamed."

The woman rolled her eyes and nudged her daughter.

"Ha ha. Now play the movie, Joker."

The three women sat and watched the rest of the movie. After everyone got their happy teenage endings, Virginia got up to go start making dinner. Marlee and Lydia spent that time flipping through channels until they came across _The Vampire Diaries._

"You good with this?"

Lydia nodded, satisfied with the fact that she was having a relaxing, normal day. It was nice to have the only supernatural dealings for the day being on the other side of a television screen. The two of them found themselves swooning over the Salvatore brothers soon enough. Even Marlee was taken with the two vampires, attracted to Stefan's sensitive side and Damon's bad boy behavior. It wasn't long until shrieking filled the living room and pillows were being half-heartedly thrown at the TV as Damon killed _yet another_ citizen of Mystic Falls.

"Stupid hot douche. He's such an ass yet you can't help but love him." Marlee grumbled.

"I know. You really like Stefan because he's the kind of guy that every girl dreams about; Damon, however, has that dangerous charm and sexy appeal." Lydia added.

"If I was ever going to be romantically involved with someone, I'd rather have the kind of guy who is sweet and caring."

"Lydia," Virginia called from the kitchen, "do you know Scott McCall?"

"Mom," Marlee yelled back before the other girl could answer, "don't start! We agreed not to gossip about boys!"

"I'm not gossiping with you. I'm asking Lydia a simple question."

"Yes, I know Scott. I'm friends with him actually. Why?"

"Is he a good-looking kid?"

Marlee buried her face in her hands and muttered, "Oh my God."

Lydia sent her embarrassed companion an inquiring look before answering, "Yeah, he's pretty nice to look at."

"Excellent." Virginia sounded incredibly pleased about this response.

The strawberry-blonde raised her eyebrows at her mortified friend.

"What was that all about?"

Marlee sighed before lifting her head up.

"Remember when I said that I had mentioned a few of you to my mom? Well, Scott was the only guy that I brought up, therefore, she believes that we're meant to be or something along those lines."

As soon as she heard the idea, Lydia was onboard with it. She couldn't help but think that it would be a good match. Scott was someone that could appreciate Marlee for who she really was, the fun and sassy girl sitting in front of her; on the flip side, Marlee would be the kind of person who would adore just about everything that made Scott who he was. The girl had even said it herself: 'If I was ever going to be romantically involved with someone, I'd rather have the kind of guy who is sweet and caring.'

"Why is that so bad?" She asked, doing her best to make it sound like an innocent question.

Marlee scoffed.

"Other than the fact that there's nothing going on between Scott and me? I'm not much of a people person. People- people are just really fucking stupid. I'm actually surprised you and I are getting along so well."

"That's because I'm irresistible." Lydia said as she tossed her hair over her shoulder, dramatically.

Marlee laughed at her new friend's antics before Virginia called them into the kitchen for dinner.

* * *

The next morning, Marlee was awoken by the sun rising. She hadn't shut her curtains all the way the night before, so light slowly started to fill her room. She sat up to look at all of the beautiful colors in the sky, wishing she had a canvas and some paint. She wasn't incredibly talented at art but she had enjoyed painting on canvas in one of the art classes she had taken the previous school year. Marlee lounged around for a little bit longer, eventually climbing out of her nest of blankets to get ready for school. Thankfully, it was Friday; she just had to make it through the day and then she would have the entire weekend ahead of her. The first thing Marlee was going to do was check out the veterinary clinic she had seen on Monday, shortly before "the incident". She figured if she was going to find a job, it might as well be one where she got to work with animals.

After having a lovely breakfast with her mother who chattered on about Lydia, Marlee drove to school, beyond ready to get this over with. Her mood was improved a bit at the sight of their substitute teacher, a man that clearly didn't want to be there and let the students goof off. That moment of excitement was quickly extinguished when the bell rang and Lydia had yet to make an appearance. Actually, the others were absent as well. It couldn't be a coincidence that Allison, Lydia, Scott, AND Stiles were missing on the same day. Glancing up to make sure the substitute wasn't paying attention- not that Marlee thought he would care anyway- she quickly typed out a text to send to Lydia.

'Hey, where are you?'

'I was up late, studying. Slept through my alarm. Staying home today.'

Marlee frowned at that. If Lydia was telling the truth, then where were her three companions?

'Do you know where Allison/Scott/Stiles are? They're not here either.'

'Not sure. Haven't talked to them this morning.'

'Okay. Just checking.'

School seemed to drag on and on that day, nothing even remotely interesting occurred. Lunch was spent in the library once again. By the time the final bell released the students for the week, Marlee was almost certain that her brain had gone numb with boredom. Sluggishly making her way to old faithful Ron Burgundy, the radio's volume had to be cranked in order to clear the cobwebs from her cranium. Feeling more energized, she let a smile grace her lips as she drove towards the clinic. After parking outside of the building, Marlee gave herself a quick pep talk before she bailed out of the car.

"Okay, you can do this! You just have to go in there, totally determined and confident. Be courteous, don't lose your cool, show that you're good with animals and… and people… ah, fuck it!"

A bell went off as Marlee stepped into the clinic and walked towards the front desk. Someone strolled out of the examination room, looking at a folder in their hands.

Opening a filing cabinet behind the desk, the person with their back facing her called out, "Be with you in a minute!"

That voice was too damn familiar for it be anyone else.

"Seriously? It's like you're everywhere!"

At Marlee's outburst, Scott McCall turned towards her and a smile lit up his face as his tired eyes landed on her.

"Hey, Marlee."

"So… you work here, right? You're not, like, following me or anything, are you?"

"Technically, you would be following me since I was here first." he teased.

"Just answer the question, McCall."

"Yeah, I've been working here since freshman year."

"Something tells me that you are not the vet that I'm looking for."

"No," a friendly man emerged from the examination room, "that would be me."

Marlee straightened up and smiled, extending her hand towards the man as he walked out from behind the door separating the desk area and the waiting room.

"I'm Marlee Decker."

"I'm Dr. Alan Deaton. It's a pleasure to meet you. Scott has told me a bit about you."

Marlee's eyebrows raised as said boy looked down in embarrassment.

"Oh, has he now?"

Deaton chuckled at the awkward moment between the two teens.

"All good things, I assure you."

"Whew, well, thank God for that. I wouldn't want you to have a bad impression of me already."

"What can I do for you, Marlee?"

Marlee took a deep breath before responding, "I just recently moved to town and I was wondering if there was any job openings here at the clinic."

The man remained good-natured as he replied, "I'm sorry but Scott's the only help I need at the moment."

"Oh." Her face fell at that.

"It's not that I don't think you would be a good employee. I'm sure you would be a diligent worker. It's just that we're at a bit of a disadvantage right now."

"Oh, really?" Marlee was a bit curious at Deaton's explanation.

"We lost some our clientele recently, so we might not need extra help for a while. The felines had quite a scare the other day and they panicked. It didn't end well…"

Marlee's heart sank a little as she caught the unspoken conclusion. She felt bad for not only the cats but their owners as well.

"We had one survivor but with his disfigurements, his owners weren't willing to take him back. We're not sure what we're going to do with him. He's been a bit irate since the whole thing and won't let either of us touch him."

"Could… could I give it a try? I've been told I'm pretty good with animals."

While Scott looked like he was about to object, Deaton gave her a smile and gestured for her to follow him. Marlee took no notice as the two watched her cross over the mountain ash barrier with ease. Following the veterinarian, Scott trailing behind them, they made their way into the room where the cats had formerly been kept. It felt a bit eerie with so many empty cages, each and every one having been hosed down and disinfected. In a far cage, a crotchety-looking gray cat glared out at the approaching trio. Healing scratches, that were more than likely to leave scars, littered his body here and there. The ones that were most noticeable at the moment were the ones on his face. The largest started where his ear connected to his head, curved down underneath his eye, went across the bridge of his nose, and ended near his mouth.

"Does he have a name?" Marlee inquired, never taking her eyes off of the creature in front of them.

"Edgar," Scott answered, hovering behind her, "that's what his owners called him."

"It seems fitting." The girl nodded.

Deaton opened the cage door and looked back at the two teenagers.

"Watch this," he instructed Marlee before reaching his hand into the cage, slowly. The cat growled and when the man's hand got closer, Edgar hissed and attempted to swat at it. Deaton jerked back before any damage could be done and shut the door calmly.

"As you can see, he's less than happy with us right now."

"Alright, let me see what I can do. If I may?"

The good doctor moved back to stand by a rather anxious Scott and the blonde crouched down in front of the cage.

"Hi, Edgar." Her voice was soft as she made eye contact with the furry fiend.

If looks could kill, Marlee would be six feet under. This cat looked like he was forever pissed at the world around him. Maybe he had the right to be, after all he had been through lately.

She slowly opened the cage door, keeping her focus on Edgar and talked to him some more.

"You're a bit of a grump, aren't you? It's okay, so am I. I totally get where you're coming from. Everything's pretty gross, huh?"

She moved forward little by little, before stopping farther out. With the way he was laying, Edgar wouldn't be able to swipe at her hand without getting up. A moment later, the cat slowly rose to his feet and moved towards Marlee. Everyone in the room held their breath as Edgar reached her hand and started to sniff at her fingers. Scott began to approach his classmate but was brought to a halt by Deaton's outstretched arm barring him. After what felt to be several minutes, when it was really only a few seconds in reality, the feline started to nudge the girl's fingers. She cracked a grin at the progress and let him continue to nudge her for a bit longer before moving carefully to pet his head. Edgar allowed this and upon assessing where his injuries were, Marlee began to scratch behind one of his ears. The two men were astonished when the sound of purring eventually filled the quiet room.

"How did you do that?" Scott asked, baffled by the sight before him.

Marlee shrugged, continuing to scratch behind Edgar's ear.

"I dunno. Animals have always just kind of liked me. The same thing goes for little kids; my cousins adore me, for whatever reason. They say babies and animals are the best judges of character but in this case, I gotta call 'bullshit' on that."

Marlee smiled at her self-deprecating humor, unaware of the silent conversation going on behind her. Scott had turned to his mentor with raised eyebrows, giving him a questioning look. Deaton shook his head in response. He was almost certain that Marlee wasn't a supernatural being. She seemed to be a regular human, one who just so happened to have a knack with pets.

"I'm almost tempted to hire you. He hasn't shown any improvements in attitude until now. I hate to think about what he's going to be like after you leave. If he keeps being so temperamental, we might not be able to find him a home anytime in the near future.

Moving back to shut the cage door, leaving Edgar to let out a loud 'meow' in protest, Marlee straightened up. She turned towards them and pulled her phone out of her front pocket.

"Give me a minute and I'll have all of this handled."

A brief scan through her contacts produced the number that was needed and Marlee raised the phone to her ear as it rang.

"Yes, hello, my darling."

"Mooooommmmmmmyyyyyy."

The pair standing a couple of feet away could hear her mother's words clearly.

"What did you do this time?"

"Why do you automatically assume that I did something?"

"Fine, what do you want then?"

"What makes you think that I want anything?"

"Marlee…"

"Okay, okay. I was wondering how opposed you would be to getting a cat."

"A cat? Where did you even find a cat?"

"I stopped by the vet's office to see if they were hiring and I managed to tame a wild beast."

Scott smiled at her choice of words.

"I don't know, honey. A cat might not be such a good idea."

"Mom, I'm going to be real honest with you. This cat has been through a lot, he's going to have some scars, and he'll need owners willing to love him despite his flaws. Who would be a better fit for him than us?"

"He? Marlee, is this cat fixed? I don't want him spraying everywhere."

After a quick glance at Dr. Deaton, who gave her a thumbs up, the teenager continued.

"The vet says that Edgar is fixed."

"Edgar?"

"Mom, if you saw this cat, you would see that the name's a perfect fit. Here, I'll send you a picture."

Marlee opened the cage door and leaned down, sticking out her tongue as she took a selfie. After waiting for Virginia to receive it, a sigh was heard on the other end of the phone.

"He's very nice, honey."

"So, that means…?"

"You have to go out and buy supplies for him. You do that and you can bring the cat home."

After excitedly telling her mom that she would get right on it, Marlee hung up and grinned. It turned into a frown as she realized that in order to take Edgar home, she'd have to get the carrier and drop the rest of the stuff off at her house first.

"I'll be back for him in an hour or two. I need to go out, buy his things, and bring all of it to my house before I can take Edgar home with me."

"Scott can go with and help you." Deaton volunteered.

"He can?"

"I can?"

"I don't have anything else for him to do today." Scott's boss looked over at the confused young man. "You do this and you'll earn your full pay."

Scott shrugged at Marlee.

"It's up to you."

She hesitated. _Do I really want to spend more time with Scott than necessary?_

"Let's get moving, McCall. Knees to chest."

* * *

One slightly awkward car ride later, the Oldsmobile pulled into a Walmart parking lot. The teens on a mission got out of the car and started to march towards the store.

"We should just grab anything we think we might need as we go." Marlee suggested.

Scott nodded once. "Sounds like a plan."

Upon entering though, they stood there for a moment.

"Do you know where we're supposed to go?" She looked ahead.

"No clue." His eyes took in their surroundings.

"Whelp, guess we're going on an adventure."

Wandering around the store, they checked each aisle they came across. Scott watched curiously as Marlee darted down an aisle and picked a box out.

"Maybe we should get these for Stiles!"

She was waving a box of XXL condoms in the air, jokingly. He chuckled and shook his head.

The next few minutes were filled with silence. The last time the two had been alone together, one had been hit by a car while saving the other. There hadn't been a lot of time to talk then. Now, they had all the time in the world and neither of them had a clue what to say.

As the pair passed a shelf that held a flock of brightly colored, little rubber duckies, Marlee casually snatched up a hot pink one and chucked it at Scott's back. The young man turned around to look at the flightless bird on the ground and shifted his gaze to an all-too innocent-looking Marlee. He smirked as he reached over and grabbed an electric blue bird and pitched it in her direction. The blonde girl squeaked and quickly raised an arm to deflect that shit. She grabbed a lime green duck and launched it at his face, only to have him swiftly catch it in his hand. Soon, the two of them were engaged in an all-out war, fluorescent bath toys flying through the air. Laughter racked both of their bodies as they carried on with this for several minutes. Eventually, the entire shelf was empty and the aisle was full of fallen waterfowl. Scott and Marlee grinned at each other until a shout shattered the moment.

"Hey!"

A pimply teenage boy in a Walmart uniform was stomping towards them. Careful to avoid the rubber ducks, Marlee managed to reach Scott and grasped his hand.

"Move, move, move!"

The two took off across the store, weaving through aisles and other shoppers. Once they were sure they had lost the irritated employee, Marlee let out a giggle, removing her hand from Scott's to cover her mouth. Who knew their trip to Walmart would be so eventful? Scott felt a strange sense of disappointment at the loss of contact. Shaking it off, he smiled down at her in amusement.

"I feel sorta bad," he chuckled, "we left kind of a mess back there."

"Live a little, McCall. We didn't hurt anyone, I'm sure we didn't damage the ducks, and those things were already dirty enough in the first place. The floor's not going to make a difference."

The good mood stuck with them throughout the rest of their shopping. Marlee picked out a simple carrier for Edgar, thinking the grumpy cat might not be too amused with a pink cage. Scott went to the front to fetch a cart and they loaded it up with the essentials; a litter box, a bag of litter, a bag of cat food, two bowls for water and food, and an assortment of cat toys.

"He deserves a bit of spoiling, the poor thing." Marlee reasoned.

Scott had insisted on pushing the cart while she scanned the shelves and placed everything in. He enjoyed seeing her like this, face devoid of its usual moody look and her eyes bright and lively.

"Your mom's pretty cool to let you bring home a pet like that. My mom and I would probably need at least an hour of negotiation for it to be even a possibility."

"She not like animals?"

"No, she likes animals. Our lives are kind of hectic though, so she might not be too keen on the idea of leaving a pet home alone."

Marlee nodded at that.

"Understandable. Who knows what kind of mischief it would get into on its own?"

"Yeah. So, you and your mom live by yourselves?"

Just like that, Marlee's guarded expression returned to her face and the light in her eyes dimmed a bit.

"Yep, it's only the two of us. Not that it's any of your business or anything."

Scott held up his hands in surrender.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to be nosy. I just want to get to know you better."

She hummed at that, grabbing a cat hair brush and tossing it in the cart.

"You and your mom live on your own?"

"My parents divorced when I was younger and my dad left town a while ago."

Marlee frowned a bit at his statement.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

A bittersweet smile crossed Scott's features.

"It's okay. I'm used to it by now. My mom's the greatest. She always tries to give me the best that she can provide and she's always there."

The blonde's demeanor lightened up a bit at that, "She sounds awesome."

Scott was going to take Lydia's approach, he wasn't going to push Marlee into telling her more about her family situation. He was willing to wait for now until Marlee was ready to tell him. After making sure they had everything that Edgar might need at the moment, the duo made their way to a checkout line. A girl with mahogany hair and blonde highlights was their cashier- 'Sarah' was printed on her name tag- and as she scanned the purchases, she eyed her customers.

"You two wouldn't happen to be the ones who made a mess over in Aisle 19, would you?"

Marlee simply smirked in response and Sarah laughed.

"Nice."

She held out her fist and the two girls fist-pounded.

"Thanks to you, Brady's probably going to cleaning up that aisle for at least another twenty minutes. This sweet, sweet time away from his pickup lines has been the most peaceful I've had in a long time."

"You're welcome."

After paying for everything, Scott and Marlee put all of it in Ron Burgundy, just barely making it fit.

"Alright, let's get this shiz to la casa de Decker."

Twenty minutes later, the house came into view and the car pulled into the driveway.

"Nice place." Scott commented.

"Thanks."

Once again, the chivalrous guy that he was, Scott offered to carry the bulk of the supplies. Marlee wanted to argue with him but he had already started to walk towards the house.

"Who goes there?" A shout called from the living room when they stepped through the front door.

"Tis I, Marlee the Menace! Try not to embarrass me. There's someone else here."

Her mother peered out into the foyer from the living room and a smile crept across her face.

 _Oh God,_ Marlee thought, _why did I ever think it was a good idea to bring him here?_

"And who is this handsome young man?"

"Scott, Mom. Mom, Scott. There, you've met. Okay, gotta go, bye!"

Before either teen could escape, Virginia properly introduced herself.

"I'm Virginia Decker, Marlee's mother."

"Scott McCall." He beamed at the woman standing in front of him.

 _Lydia was right, he's easy on the eyes._ Virginia thought to herself, _He seems very nice too._

All Virginia could ever want for her daughter was for her to be happy and healthy. She wanted Marlee to be able to enjoy her life and the company of other people. The boy standing in their foyer could quite possibly be a part of all of that.

"Hi," the smiling blonde shook his hand, "I've heard a lot about you."

"Mom," Marlee hissed, ignoring the way that Scott's eyes appeared to light up at her mother's words, "be cool."

"Alright, alright," Virginia laughed at her teenager's minor distress, "so, what are you guys up to?"

"We just stopped by so I could drop off my backpack upstairs and the supplies for Edgar."

"Alright, you go drop your backpack off upstairs and leave me alone with Scott, who you apparently don't want to know that you have mentioned him once, twice… twenty times."

A flustered Marlee turned to look at the guy standing next to her and bit out in a frustrated tone, "She's lying. She lives to embarrass me. She thinks she's funny."

"Marlee," Scott chuckled, "it's fine. I didn't think you mentioned me twenty times… fifteen, at most."

Letting out a groan, she stormed up the stairs, leaving the two chuckleheads behind her.

Managing to get out of the house without any further embarrassment, Marlee found herself parking in front of Beacon Hills' vet clinic for the second time that day. Scott led her into the building and back towards the room where Edgar was being kept. Deaton simply nodded at them as they walked past.

"You sure you can do this?" Scott seemed concerned as the infamous cat came into view.

"Do you mean taking him out of the cage and putting him in the carrier? Or do you mean bringing him home with me?"

"Both. All of it."

"Scott," Marlee smiled at him, "I'm absolutely sure of this. I want to give him a home."

As she moved to open the cage, Scott couldn't put a name to what he was feeling right then. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind; he'd come back to it later.

"Hey," Marlee repeated the same process from before, crouching and putting her hand far enough that he'd have to get up, "you wanna go home with me? I got some cat toys that are just waiting for a little man like you."

Once Edgar had gotten close enough for her to scratch behind his ear, Marlee gently picked him up. He let out a short growl in objection but didn't put up much of a fight otherwise.

After making sure that the cat carrier was secure, Scott walked Marlee out to her car. He opened the passenger door so she could place Edgar, who had already started to sing the song of his people, in the shotgun seat.

"Greeaaat. I get to listen to that all the way home."

"It could be worse."

"How?"

"You could be stuck in a car with Stiles after he's had a triple bean burrito."

Marlee's face scrunched up in disgust at that scenario.

"Oh, you poor boy. I wouldn't wish that upon my worst enemy."

"Glad to know that isn't me."

"No, no. At the moment, my worst enemy is our English teacher."

An emotion flickered in Scott's eyes at that. She didn't know that he was remembering what had occurred less than twenty-four hours ago.

"Why is she your worst enemy?"

"There's something awfully weird about her. She's all sickly sweet and phony. I don't know. Maybe it's just me."

Scott nodded, accepting Marlee's answer.

"Well, let me know when I move up on the list."

"You'll be the first to find out."

As Marlee got into her car and drove away while Scott went back into the clinic, neither had noticed the two sets of eyes watching them.

* * *

The Decker women became attached to Edgar in an instant. The night before, when they had first let him out of his carrier, the overwhelmed feline had made a mad dash to hide under the couch.

"This'll be interesting." Virginia chuckled, hiding a smile behind her hand.

Marlee shushed her mother before ripping open a package of cat toys. She silently threw one about a foot in front of the couch. Less than five seconds later, a gray blob was rolling around on the floor, vigorously attacking his new toy. The rest of the evening had gone on that way, making gradual progress. They had set up one of their more spacious spare rooms with everything that Edgar would need. There was a desk that had looked a little worse for wear in the basement too. The mother and daughter dynamic duo had worked together to bring it up both sets of stairs and into the room. Their new housemate would be spending time in there when both of the Deckers were out of the house or sleeping; at least until they knew if he was litter box-trained and not going to rip up the furniture. By the time they finally put him in his room and placed him on a pile of old blankets in the corner, he was tuckered out and full of affection.

Halfway through Saturday, Marlee was watching Edgar chase after the red dot from her laser pointer when one of her earbuds crapped out.

"Are you shitting me?" She groaned.

A number of the songs on her iPod had parts where it could only be heard in one headphone. It got annoying after a while, not being able to hear the entirety of a song. Virginia was out to lunch with some coworkers and probably wouldn't be back for another hour or two. (From what she could tell, these particular individuals liked to gab.) Marlee let out an overdramatic sigh as she heaved herself off of a chair in the kitchen and scooped Edgar up off the floor. Multiple sounds of protest could be heard from the cat as she carried him upstairs and brought him into his room. She shut the door behind the two of them so he wouldn't make a prison break.

"I know, I know, I hate me too. I'll try and be quick, okay? Until I get back…" she placed him on the desk situated by the window, "you can watch all of the birds and pretty lady cats. You got it made, man."

As she tried to leave, Edgar jumped off of the desk in defiance and followed her, a scowl on his face.

"Oh, you're a rebel without cause, a real tough guy."

Reaching down, the amused blonde wound up a toy mouse and let it go, watching as it took off with a ball of energy close behind.

Slipping out of the room while Edgy Edgar was distracted, Marlee bounded down the stairs after grabbing her purse and keys from her room. She shot a quick text to Virginia that said she was going out for a little bit and yes, the cat was stashed away. Marlee hopped in her car after locking up the house and headed to the drugstore.

Walking out of the drugstore, she shoved her newly purchased earbuds and a bag of gummy worms into her purse. Marlee decided that she could afford to take the scenic route home since her trip hadn't taken that long anyway. One of the only appeals to moving had been the Beacon Hills Preserve- until she had learned about all of the animal attacks (and murderer mishaps) that had taken place recently. That had _'HORROR MOVIE'_ written all over it.

 _Maybe it's vampires,_ Marlee mused with a smirk. After all, that was the explanation for the weird shit that happened in Mystic Falls on _The Vampire Diaries_. 'Vampires? Psssssssh, no, of course not. The reason all of these people had their throats ripped out and drained of blood was because of a mountain lion…' It hit her all at once. When Marlee had been researching Beacon Hills, she had read an article about how a mountain lion had terrorized the town until someone had finally shot it. Animal attacks, mountain lions, and a group of teenagers being shady as hell? Something freaky was going on in Beacon Hills.

It didn't help that she was already lost in her thoughts when a deer ran out of the trees and into the road. Marlee slammed the brakes, jolting a bit from the abrupt stop. Her stupid airbags didn't go off. In fact, Ron Burgundy decided right then to break down completely.

"Fuck," she hissed as she smacked the steering wheel.

 _At least I didn't hit that damn deer._

She was sitting there in her car, going over her options, when it happened. A low growl invaded the silence around her, audible through the glass and metal of her vehicle. Turning to look out the passenger window, Marlee shrieked. Just past the first row of trees, something hulking stood watching her. If she didn't know any better, she would have said it was a man by the way it held itself on two legs and appeared to be wearing clothes. However, the hair covering a good portion of its behemoth body eliminated that theory. That wasn't the only thing that made her certain that whatever it was, it wasn't human. Deadly, bright red eyes peered at her from the shadows.

 _I'm dreaming. I have to be dreaming. This can't possibly be real._

Marlee closed her eyes for a minute and when she opened them, the abomination was gone. She sighed in relief, momentarily at ease. The sound of a rock hitting the hood of her car made her look farther ahead. Standing between two trees right next to the road, it was there, still looking at her. With her heart racing, she wondered somewhere in the back of her mind, if this is how the cats at the vet's office had felt. She felt panicky, like she could start clawing at herself as they had done. In the blink of an eye, it was gone again. She could hear a racket in the woods though. The creature had moved, swiftly, without a sound before. It wanted her to know that it was there.

Marlee let out a shaky breath as she grabbed her cell and scrolled through her contacts, glancing outside of her car every few seconds. She couldn't think of anyone else to call besides Lydia.

As the phone rang, Marlee saw something dart past the trees next to her.

"Hello?"

"Lydia." Marlee's voice was trembling with fear as she spoke.

"Marlee? What's wrong?"

"Lydia, I know this is going to sound crazy but something is outside of my car. Something big. I- I don't know what it is. I think it might be some sort of animal. I don't know! It looks like it might be a person but I saw a lot of hair and its eyes- Lydia, I'm scared."

The blonde girl was borderline hysterical now as she watched the trees beside her, searching for the creature.

"Where are you?"

In the background, Marlee could hear murmurs of other voices.

"I'm in the middle of a road near the preserve. This deer ran out in front of me and I stomped on my brakes to avoid hitting it and my car just died and this thing keeps moving through the trees near me!"

She punctuated her statement with a scream as a tree landed on the hood of her car.

 _What the fuck is happening? Holy shit! This isn't normal!_ Marlee thought.

"What happened?!"

"A fucking tree just fell on the hood of my car! Lydia, I'm in the middle of the goddamn road and this fucking tree is on my car!"

There was a moment of silence as the murmurs on the other end conversed.

"Marlee," Lydia's voice came through the phone once again, "I need you to stay in the car. Scott, Stiles, and Isaac are coming to get you. Stiles called his dad and he'll be out there shortly too. Whatever you do, do not leave your car until the guys get there. Okay?"

"Okay," Marlee replied, staring at the woods next to her, "okay."

She didn't even have to wait ten minutes before Scott pulled up behind her on his bike; followed by Stiles and a blonde guy, that she could only assume was Isaac, in Stiles' Jeep. As Scott made his way over, Marlee hesitantly opened her car door.

"Hey," Scott held out his hand to help her get out, "are you okay?"

"Does that look okay?" Marlee jabbed a finger in the direction of the tree.

Stiles let out a low whistle as he walked over to inspect her car.

"Yeah, that's not good."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious!" Marlee snapped.

"Hey! We were nice enough to come out here and get you. Plus, my dad should be arriving any minute with some people to get the tree out of the road and a tow truck to take your car to the mechanic's."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry," Marlee sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "I'm just really freaked out right now. I already thought I was going crazy because I saw that- that thing out there. Now this happened. It definitely hasn't been my lucky day."

Scott carefully placed his hand on her shoulder, unsure whether it was a good idea or not.

"It's alright. You're not going crazy and you're allowed to be freaked out."

Marlee's eyes shifted over to the preserve next to them.

"How do you explain what I saw then?"

The three boys were quiet for a moment before Stiles broke the silence.

"Look, Isaac and I will stay here and wait for my dad. Scott can take you back to his place. We were just hanging out with Lydia and Allison. We'll talk about this later, right?"

Stiles glanced over at Scott, questioning whether or not he had said the right thing. Scott gave his friend a nod, knowing that they were going to have to explain to Marlee what was going on. Obviously the Alpha pack had been keeping tabs on them and had noticed the girl hanging around their group the past couple of days. Someone was not only trying to scare Marlee, they were also trying to rile up the pack.

"Come on," Scott wrapped his hand around Marlee's wrist in a loose grip and gently started to lead her away from her car. She followed him without a word until they were near Scott's dirt bike.

"I really like this." She nodded her head towards it.

"Yeah?" Scott gazed down at Marlee with a slight smile, prepared to take her mind off of what had just happened.

"I've seen it in the parking lot at school once or twice but I didn't realize it was yours. It's nice without being overly flashy."

"Well, it's not as fancy as the twins' motorcycles or anything but I bought it all on my own."

"Again, your bike isn't overly flashy, like those dolts' are. Seriously, I know they're twins and everything but do they really need to have the same motorcycle?"

Both of them were smiling as Scott handed her his helmet.

"Put this on."

"What about you?"

"My spare one is at home and you need it more than I do."

"Oh, what- because I'm a girl?" Marlee half-heartedly socked him in the arm.

"Easy," Scott chuckled, "that's not the reason. I promise that I'll…"

"'Explain later', I got it." She cut in as she put on the helmet like he had instructed.

Scott got on first and looked over at her.

"When you sit down, you're going to have to wrap your arms around me so you don't fall off."

Marlee reached up to lift the helmet's visor for a second, revealing an impish grin.

"I almost think that you planned all of this just so I would hold you."

"Yep, that's just the kind of guy I am." Scott prayed his blushing cheeks weren't noticeable to her.

Marlee hopped on the dirt bike and wrapped her arms around his waist, ignoring the fluttering in her gut.

 _You're just still freaked out by whatever the hell that thing was. Those are not butterflies in your stomach. Keep your shit together, Decker._


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, my lovely readers! Thank you to all of the people who have favorited, followed, or reviewed! Again, I'm incredibly sorry that this took forever to post but if it makes you feel better, I have written lots of scenes for future episodes in my spare time. Hopefully that means you'll be getting some decent chapters to look forward to. (Ally continues to urge me to stop hurting Marlee.)**

 **As per usual, you can find Marlee's outfits on my Polyvore account 'earthdiva' or you can find me on Tumblr 'missunderstoodxoxo'. I would be extremely grateful if you could review this chapter so I know how I did. (I'm not entirely sure whether this turned out alright or not.)**

 **Inspiration for this chapter: "Weightless" by All Time Low, "Jungle" by X Ambassadors, and "On Top of the World" by Imagine Dragons**

 **Disclaimer: I only own Marlee, Virginia, Colin, Edgar, and the car known as Ron Burgundy. Everything else belongs to its' rightful owners.**

It wasn't long before the two pulled up to the McCall house. Parking in the driveway beside Allison's car, Scott waited for Marlee to slide off of the bike before dismounting. As his passenger took off the helmet he had loaned her and shook her hair out, the beta couldn't help but remember the day before when the two of them were getting Edgar situated. He was experiencing the same weird feeling all over again. It felt like all of his insides had lit up and his stomach was doing somersaults. Something about this enigma of a girl made him feel lighter than he had in a while.

"That was actually pretty awesome." Marlee smiled at Scott as she handed the helmet to him. "I wish it had been under different circumstances but it was still amazing."

"Maybe we could do that again sometime. You know, when your car is functioning and you're not stranded on a deserted road."

While the grin she had been sporting faded at his words, the light in her eyes didn't dim.

"Yeah, maybe."

She nodded towards the green building next to them.

"So, if Lydia and Allison are here, does that mean they know why the Whomping Willow decided to take out my car?"

Scott looked like a deer ( _fucking deer, screwing up cars and shit_ ) caught in headlights for a moment before replying, "Um, yeah. Kind of."

"You guys are like some secret society of the seriously strange."

He smiled at her observation. "Dare you to try and say that five times fast."

All Marlee responded with was sticking her tongue out at him.

"Very nice."

"Shut up. Be a gentleman and invite me into your humble abode, McCall."

Shaking his head in amusement, Scott led her to and up the front steps. He gestured for her to go through the door first. Once the two of them were inside and the front door had been shut, Marlee said rather loudly, "No, Scott, I will not go to your bedroom with you!"

As the boy's cheeks flamed with embarrassment, a voice called out from the living room, "Are you paraphrasing _The Vampire Diaries_?"

Marlee bent over to untie her boots and Scott did his best to keep his eyes off of her. "And how would you know that, Miss Martin?"

"I may or may not have binge-watched it on Netflix yesterday."

"You were supposed to be sleeping. You liar!"

"I wasn't going to sleep all day."

The two teens went to join the redhead and brunette sitting on the couch in the living room.

"Are you okay?" Allison asked Marlee, concerned over what had happened.

"Physically? It's all good. Mentally and emotionally? Mildly freaked as well as incredibly pissed off about my car."

The huntress nodded in acceptance. "That's understandable."

While Scott took a seat in an armchair, their visitor decided to flop face down on the floor.

"Um, what are you doing?" Lydia did her best to control her laughter at her friend's actions.

"I'm collecting my thoughts. Now shhhhhh."

The room was quiet for the next ten minutes, Marlee with her face in the carpet and the other three silently communicating with looks, gestures, and text messages. The sound of the front door opening made everyone look up. Stiles and Isaac walked in, looking a bit irritated after having to spend time together.

"Well," Stiles clapped his hands, "the good news is the mechanic can get all of the parts that you need. The bad news is you're going to be without a car for at least a week."

"Ahahahahaha, fuck my life." Marlee let her head drop back down.

"Oh, you'll be fine. Look at the bright side, the rust-bucket is going to be okay."

The girl on the floor gasped before turning her head towards Lydia Martin.

"You bite your tongue! How dare you call Ron Burgundy a 'rust-bucket'?!"

"Ron Burgundy? As in _Anchorman_ Ron Burgundy?" The sheriff's son asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, you got a problem with that?"

"Nope, no problem at all."

After rolling onto her back and sitting up, Marlee made eye contact with each and every person in the room. The last person she looked to was Scott, who seemed to be at the center of all of this craziness. The unusual occurrences that had happened throughout the week had started with their first meeting.

"So… who wants to tell me what the fuck is going on with you people?"

No one said anything for a moment, unsure how they were even going to begin this conversation. Once again, Stiles was the one to break the ice.

"We should take her to Derek."

"Why would we do that?" Allison was not in the mood to see the Hale.

"Because he's going to want to know about this and he's definitely not going to leave Cora right now. It'd be better if we go to him with this."

"Count me out." As Lydia stood up and secured her purse on her shoulder, Marlee remembered her own bottomless pit of a purse and began to dig for her gummy worms. "Danny's picking me up. He and I haven't really spent much time together lately so I promised him that we would tonight."

"Introduce me to young Daniel soon!" Her friend called from her spot on the ground, a red and green gummy worm hanging out of her mouth. "I want to meet him."

"Danny's gay, honey. I'm sorry." The redhead inconspicuously watched Scott's reaction, who did his best to act like he wasn't paying attention to what the two of them were saying.

Marlee scoffed, "Who cares? I still want to meet him. He seems like an interesting individual."

"I'll be sure to mention it to him."

After their friend had left, the blonde bit a white and red gummy worm in half. "Is anyone going to tell me why we're going to see this Derek dude?"

Stiles, who had taken Lydia's former spot, put his elbows on his knees and leaned towards her.

"What do you know about werewolves?"

* * *

 _It took some time to convince Marlee to accompany them but eventually the girls took Allison's car to get to Derek's place while the guys had piled into Stiles' jeep. Flipping through radio stations and finding nothing, Allison turned down the volume in order to talk to a skeptical Marlee._

" _You don't believe us, do you?"_

" _Do I believe werewolves are real? No. Do I believe that there are werewolves in Beacon Hills? Um, fuck no."_

" _Look, I know it might seem like we're crazy but just hear us out, okay? Believe me, I understand what it's like to think that all of this is impossible."_

" _That's because it is impossible!"_

"Why exactly is she here again?" Derek had his arms crossed over his chest and his eyebrows furrowed.

"Why do you have two caterpillars hanging out on your giant-ass forehead?" Marlee shot back.

Everyone's heads turned as a chuckle was heard off to the side.

"I like her," a man in a white V-neck was sitting on the spiral staircase, staring at the group gathered in the loft, "she's got spunk. We're going to keep this one alive, right?"

Marlee didn't like the way that everyone around her seemed to tense at his words. He was obviously pouring salt in their wounds. Her eyes narrowed at the amused antagonist.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're a total fucking prick?"

Stiles let out a snort. "That's because he is."

"But you, my dear," the prick gave her a toothy grin, "can call me 'Peter'."

"Peter the Prick. Sounds fitting. Or were you named after "Peter and the Wolf"?"

"Very clever. Now, maybe we should tell you exactly why you're here."

It took those who had gathered over an hour to explain all that they possibly could. As she listened to their misadventures, Marlee slowly found herself coming to terms with everything. The proof they provided had been Derek wolfing out, causing her to jump and scream. What had kept her from escaping the loft and Beacon Hills altogether was Scott. He spoke about how he had been bitten by Peter and how his life had changed drastically since then. Marlee could see that he had grown up pretty quickly, still a teenager yet taking on responsibilities that one could only begin to dream of. If he and his friends could be thrown headfirst into all of this fuckery, she could handle it.

 _I've seen worse. I've been through worse._

"So, let me get this straight: Scott, Derek, Isaac, Cora, AND Peter are werewolves. Plus some guy named Boyd." Marlee pointed in their directions and the room nodded. Marlee then pointed at Allison. "Allison and her dad are former werewolf hunters." Everyone nodded again except Allison's was a bit more hesitant. "Lydia is… something."

"We're working on that." Stiles cut in.

"And last but not least, Stiles is just a sassy shit."

Instead of looking offended at her words, Stiles' chest puffed with pride.

"That I am."

Marlee shrugged. "Okay then."

"That's it?" Derek asked in disbelief. "You just found out that dangerous, supernatural creatures are real and interact with you every day- and you're totally cool with it?"

"I guess so… yeah."

"She's probably in shock." The girl with a permanently bored expression, Cora, commented. "She'll freak out once she processes it fully."

"Alright, it's still pretty fucking bizarre but you guys went about it the right way. If you had just told me everything but didn't have the proof to back it up, I would have said you all need to lay off the drugs or something. If you had only shown me the wolf face without explaining a little bit at first, I would have fought my way out of here."

"You really think you could fight off five werewolves?" Peter was extremely entertained by the idea.

"Four of you are men so just a couple of swift kicks and you guys would have drop like a bag of bricks. Cora would be a different story but with an adrenaline rush, anything's possible. Can I go home now?"

"Not until we make sure that you're not going to tell anyone about us." Derek glared at Marlee, causing her to roll her eyes.

"Puh-lease. The only person that would believe me is Allison's dad and you guys said he's not up for playing Van Helsing these days."

There was a tense atmosphere in the room as Marlee and Derek seemed to be involved in a never-ending staring contest. Finally, the intensity in the werewolf's eyes diminished a bit.

"If you tell anyone else about this, I'm going to rip your throat out… with my teeth."

"Duly noted."

Scott stepped forward and put a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"I'll take you home."

"We didn't take your bike here though."

"Stiles and I can take you home. Isaac lives here and Allison's got her car."

The group broke for the day and the newest member of Mystery Incorporated followed the dynamic duo out to the Jeep.

"This thing got a name?"

"Roscoe."

"So, we have Roscoe and Ron Burgundy. I like it." Marlee smirked.

The entire way to Marlee's house, Stiles insisted on making insane accusations and wild guesses about why she was being so calm about all of this.

"No, nah, nein, nope, nada, nice try…" Her one-word answers were full of mirth at the hyperactive teen's confusion.

"Oh, come on! You're handling this too well." Stiles kept his hands on the wheel even though he wanted to throw them up in the air.

"Didn't you handle all of the supernatural business pretty well? Like, weren't you the one who did all of the research and convinced Scott that he dances with wolves?"

"Well… yeah."

As the three of them pulled up in front of the Deckers' house, Scott spoke for the first time since they had gotten into the Jeep. "How's Edgar doing?" He twisted his body to look at her sitting in the backseat.

"He's actually doing exceptionally well. I'm not sure whose love is stronger: his love for us or our love for him." Marlee grinned at him and Scott's stomach did another somersault. "He's quite the ladies' man. Unfortunately, Edgar's probably not too happy with me right now. I told him I'd be back soon and I've been gone for hours. Aaaaand I still have to tell my mom about my car. Oh boy…"

"Well, we've gotten pretty good at coming up with stories." Stiles watched with raised eyebrows as Scott pulled out his phone and held it out to the girl. "Put your number in here and maybe I can help you out."

"Wow," Marlee joked, as she did what the beta said, "my arms around your waist and my phone number? Today's your lucky day, McCall."

"Maybe it is."

* * *

After hopping out of Roscoe and entering her home, Marlee had received a text: 'Hey, it's Scott :)'

She quickly saved him under her contacts as 'Superman Scott'. (He was a nearly indestructible guy who had saved her life, after all.) For someone whose daughter possibly could have been crushed by a tree, Virginia was a bit too happy when she heard about the Oldsmobile taking the impact. Some of that happiness died a bit when she heard the car could be fixed and when the stubborn junior insisted on keeping it.

Marlee's Sunday did include some homework, it being the first weekend of the school year and all. Mostly it consisted of watching movies and baking brownies with her mom, kissing up to an annoyed Edgar, and answering texts from Lydia- occasionally Scott. Since Marlee was without a ride, she was riding to school the next day with Allison and Lydia. It was kind of funny how she had wanted nothing to do with anyone in Beacon Hills yet the exact opposite was happening. Now, she was in the know about a major secret and willingly (more or less) spending time with others. There had to be something in the water here.

That theory seemed even more plausible when Monday morning rolled around and she found herself singing in the shower. It was something she hadn't done in years, the enjoyment taken out of it with her dad gone. Her iPod didn't come into her life until after it all happened. Marlee used to belt whatever song she could think of and Colin would pass by the door, loudly singing along or making up his own lyrics. What was the point if he wasn't there to jam out to classic rock or change the word "girl" to "squirrel"? It felt refreshing to hear her alto tones bouncing off of the walls while she shampooed her hair.

" _Maybe it's not my weekend but it's gonna be my year…"_

All throughout breakfast, Virginia seemed to be radiating sunshine and positivity. She was blatantly pleased with her child's change in mood. She would never admit it to Marlee but when she had heard the sound of singing through the door earlier, she had shed a tear or two. It seemed as if her daughter was finally recovering.

The sound of a car horn informed the two women of Lydia and Allison's arrival. Marlee exited the house and climbed into the backseat, greeting the two smiling girls. The redhead turned to examine her outfit.

"One of these days, I'm going to get you to wear a dress to school. I think with your skin tone and hair, you would look good in a nice green- or maybe a darker shade of blue to compliment your eyes."

"Lydia, if you come anywhere near me with something involving a skirt, I will have no choice but to put Nair in your shampoo."

Allison snorted at the scandalized expression Lydia was currently sporting.

"How dare you?!" Lydia placed her manicured hands on top of her curls. "I thought we were friends."

"Friends don't force friends to wear dresses."

After a car ride full of banter, Allison interjecting with her inputs, and cursing out a minivan that cut them off in traffic, Marlee's mood continued to rise once she realized Ms. Blake was absent once again. She knew now that the annoying brunette had been trapped in the school with werewolves the other night but still. That didn't mean that she suddenly liked the woman.

Everything seemed to be going great until the end of Economics. She was exiting the room when someone lost their grip and dropped a textbook that was in their hands. It fell right on top of Marlee's Converse, corner-first, and she yelped at the pain that followed.

"Ow! Greenberg, what the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"I'm really sorry, Decker. How about I make it up to you by taking you out on a date, huh? How's that sound?"

Marlee was about to tell him exactly what she thought of that idea when Coach shouted at his arch nemesis, something about the dude stealing a pen off of his desk. She left the young man to his fate, hobbling down the hall towards her locker.

"What happened to you?"

Scott and Stiles approached Marlee, looking a bit concerned as she limped along.

"Greenberg dropped a textbook on my foot and it kinda hurts."

Scott glanced around, making sure no one was watching before he grabbed her hand.

"Here."

The trio watched as dark veins appeared in Scott's arm and Marlee felt the pain in her foot fade away.

"I don't know if I'll ever get used to that."

"Hopefully I won't have to do it often enough for you to get used to it."

Marlee beamed at Scott.

"Thank you."

Scott couldn't help but smile back at her.

"You're welcome."

A beat later, the two of them realized they were still holding hands. The girl snatched her hand back as if she had been burnt by his touch.

"Well, I gotta go to my locker and get my shit for Harris' class. See you guys there!"

Marlee scurried off, praying that neither of the boys had noticed her cheeks beginning to turn tomato red.

"Don't think I didn't notice the way you looked at her."

Scott's head snapped in the direction of his best friend, who was giving him a look of amusement and apprehension.

"What are you talking about?"

Stiles rolled his eyes at Scott's attempt at acting completely innocent.

"I saw the way you looked at Marlee. You like her or at least you're starting to like her."

Scott ducked his head, slightly embarrassed, as he muttered, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Stiles smacked his partner in crime on the shoulder.

"Scott, I'm your best friend! I know how to tell when you like someone. Don't even try to deny it."

"I'm not denying anything. I mean, yeah, she's pretty-"

"Scott…" Stiles warned, eyes narrowed as he inspected the young werewolf closely, in order to make sure he couldn't hide anything.

"Fine," Scott sighed, "Maybe I have a thing for her. It doesn't mean anything though. I mean, I don't seem like the type of guy she'd go for."

"Hey, you got that guy at Jungle to buy you a drink without even trying, remember? Everybody wants you. In fact, here comes Marlee now."

Scott turned around, only to find that said girl wasn't walking their way. Stiles laughed, leaning against his friend for support.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, that was just too easy. You're acting like you're still an awkward freshman. Scott, we're juniors now. We've got this, you've got this. You're- you're Scottie McHottie, dude."

"Don't say that so loud!"

"Oh, what? This? HEY, IT'S SCOTT MCHOTT- MMMMPH!"

Scott had clapped his hand over Stiles' mouth and attempted to drag him away from the scene, only for Stiles to flail wildly while trying to yell at his friend. After a moment of struggling, both boys eventually noticed Marlee Decker staring at them with her eyebrows raised. They scrambled to straighten themselves, Stiles propping his elbow against Scott's shoulder.

"Sup?" Stiles nodded at her in greeting.

Marlee smirked at them in response.

"Stilinski. McHottie."

The two friends watched with wide eyes as she walked away after wiggling her eyebrows at the pair.

The bell rang, signaling a minute until the next class started. Mortified, Scott started to make his way to class, completely ignoring the fact that his best friend had lost his balance and fell to the floor with a yelp.

The awkward encounters didn't stop there though. Isaac would be returning to school tomorrow so it was just the five of them sitting at a table together at lunch. The sheriff's son was on another rant about the disappearances occurring and the research he had been doing on different types of sacrifices all over the world.

"Wait, you think someone's using virgins as human sacrifices? Like, what cults do in movies and shit?" Marlee's eyes were the size of dinner plates and she had frozen with her pizza held right in front of her mouth.

"Everyone else is in a bit of denial but I'm almost certain that's what's happening." Stiles explained.

"Well, I'm royally fucked."

The three girls, two amused and one confused, watched a cheeky-looking Stiles pat his best friend, who had started to choke on his drink at that statement, on the back.

* * *

'So, you're saying the guy just disappeared and left his car/dog?'

'Yeah. He might have been taken by whoever took the others.'

'His dog's okay though, right?'

'Yes, Marlee. The dog is fine.'

'Good. I hate movies where the dog dies too.'

Marlee was re-reading the texts Scott and her sent to each other last night. He had made sure to inform everyone that another person had gone missing, as far as he could tell. She was a bit unsettled by the whole thing but there was a chance that this dude was still alive. Looking up, she noticed the cross-country team coming back from their early morning practice and they were buzzing- not the kind one gets from running though. They seemed anxious and speculative, heightened voices weaving together. She caught words such as "killed", "tree", and "dead". Marlee spotted Scott, Stiles, and Isaac walking together, looking rather serious. Striding towards the boys, she fell into step beside them.

"So, what happened out on the trails?"

"That kid I told you about was tied to a tree. He was strangled and his head was bashed in, just like the others." Scott explained.

 _Okay, maybe there was absolutely no chance that this dude was still alive._

"I'm telling you," Stiles was exasperated from trying to get his point across so many times, "they're human sacrifices! Virgin human sacrifices!"

"I still say the twins did it." Isaac glowered, eyes filled with malice.

"Am I missing something here? Are you talking about the supermodel douchebags?"

"You mean the assholes that killed that girl and tried to kill me?" Isaac growled.

"Are you fucking serious?" Marlee's jaw dropped.

"We had a bit of an incident during practice." Scott summarized.

"Great," She sighed. "So, you're basically saying that we're about to some fucking werewolf turf war on our hands. I need a vacation."

Later, in the Physics class from Hell, Marlee sat down next to Scott at one of the lab tables. Isaac was hunched over in a seat in front of them, still brooding and on edge.

"All right, since 'inertia' is a subject of which you all know plenty, why don't we start with 'momentum'?"

 _Ruuuuuuude._

Scott leaned forward towards Isaac.

"They're here for a reason." He said in a low voice. "Give me a chance to figure it out before you do anything. Okay?" He made sure to drive his point home by adding in, "Isaac."

"Danny- what do we know about momentum?"

"It's a product of mass and velocity. The more massive something is, the faster it's going."

"Mr. Harris," Isaac blurted out, "may I use the bathroom, please?"

The teacher simply gestured towards the door and Isaac strolled out the door, purpose in every step he took. Scott shot up out of his seat and interjected, "I have to go to the bathroom too."

"One at a time."

 _I seriously don't get the point of that. Do teachers think that some sort of drug deal or an orgy is going down in the bathroom?_ Marlee thought as she watched the two interact.

"But I- I really have to go. Like, 'medical emergency' have to go." The worried beta started bouncing up and down a bit to make his claim seem more believable.

"Mr. McCall," the dick at the front of the room started in a condescending tone, "if your bladder suddenly exploded and urine began to pour from every orifice, I would still respond 'One at a time.' Is that enough hyperbole for you or would you like me to come up with something more vivid?"

"No, no, that's pretty good." Scott sat back down in his seat, defeated.

Marlee, who never was one to take such a thing quietly, commented sarcastically, "Thank you, Mr. Harris, for that delightfully appetizing description right before lunch."

The man turned his beady eyes in her direction, already disliking this student that he hadn't had for even a week.

"Miss Decker, if I were you, I would keep your thoughts to yourself."

"If you were me, I'd be ugly." She muttered under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing, sir. Nothing at all."

The sound of something colliding with a locker came from the hallway and Mr. Harris went to investigate with the class trailing behind him. Isaac was standing above a bloodied twin on the floor. From the way Danny crouched down next to him in concern, Marlee assumed that it was Ethan.

"What is this? What's going on?" Harris demanded.

"You alright?" Danny asked Ethan.

"Uh, he just- he just came at me."

"Isaac, what the hell did you do?" Their teacher asked, bewildered.

Was Marlee the only person using logic and common sense? Could anyone else, other than the werewolves, see that there was definitely more to the story? If Ethan had actually gotten the shit beat out of him by Isaac, wouldn't there be at least a little bit of blood on the cardigan-clad teen's hands?

After Mr. Harris had decided that lunch detention was a suitable punishment for poor Isaac, the "troubled" teenage girl shuffled to the guidance office, where Ms. Morrell was waiting to speak with her. Marlee assumed it was another attempt at cracking the code that was her. The twenty minutes in the woman's office was spent with a sulking blonde sitting across from the prodding counselor, unwilling to answer questions. Eventually, she was released and went to exchange her textbooks for a sketchpad and notebooks.

Their approach had been silent, startling her when she closed the door.

"Hey," One of the musclebound twins, Aiden, leaned on the locker next to hers, "how's your car?"

Marlee froze at his words. No one but the pack really knew about her car, seeing as she didn't really talk to anyone else. She doubted that any of them had mentioned it to someone outside of their inner circle. Before she could respond, Ethan- who looked as if he hadn't been busted up less than an hour ago- matched his brother's stance on her other side.

"Yeah, we heard you had a little accident the other day over by the preserve."

The hand each twin used to prop themselves up started to sprout claws, piercing the locker doors and making the metal creak. Marlee still didn't speak to or look at them, staring straight ahead. She refused to show any emotion.

"I'd be more careful if I were you. You never know what a couple of dolts are capable of." Aiden snarled.

 _Son of a-_

Ethan knocked Marlee's things out of her arms and onto the floor, stepping on books and papers as he and his brother walked off. Marlee took a deep breath to calm her nerves before kneeling down to pick up her shit. After a few seconds of gathering, she felt a presence in front of her. Glancing up, she watched Scott crouch down to help her.

"Are you okay?" He asked, locking eyes with her. No one passing by would be able to tell that she seemed a bit shaken but to Scott, it was easy to see something had rattled her.

Marlee pointed towards the locker to the left of her own then slowly motioned towards the one on the right, brown eyes following her gaze.

"What happened?"

She turned her head back towards him.

"Scott," she muttered, not wanting another student to overhear what she was saying, "the twins- they're the ones who ripped the tree out of the ground."

Marlee watched as his eyes flashed gold for a split second, a dark look emerging on his face.

"Are you sure?"

"They knew about what happened to my car. Aiden said I should be more careful because I never know what a couple of dolts are capable of."

Hearing that, Scott could remember her words from Saturday quite clearly.

' _Again, your bike isn't overly flashy, like those dolts' are. Seriously, I know they're twins and everything but do they really need to have the same motorcycle?'_

"I'm not going to let them hurt you." Scott promised Marlee, handing her the papers he had gathered, as the two stood up.

"I'll be fine, don't worry about it. You can't always be there to protect me."

"I…" Scott trailed off, tilting his head to the side a bit. Marlee studied him, wondering what he was listening for, when Scott's eyes widened and he took off running. Quickly throwing everything she needed into her backpack, Marlee swung it over her back and went after him.

Rounding a corner only seconds after Scott had, she watched as he shoved a vending machine to the side, revealing the door of a janitor's closet. Yanking the door open, he hurried in and launched a wolfed-out Isaac from the tiny room. Marlee hesitantly got closer, wanting to help in any way that she could but definitely not wanting to get her face ripped off by the out of control beta. Scott resurfaced and held Isaac down while the blonde boy snarled and snapped his fangs; bright, yellow eyes clashed as they struggled against one another.

"ISAAC!"

Scott's voice boomed with all of the authority and confidence of a natural born leader. It threw Marlee for a second, taken aback by the power he had displayed. The other wolf gradually regained his senses and shut down, laying his head down to catch a breath while the panic faded in his eyes. When the initial shock wore off, Marlee walked forward as Allison stepped out of the shadowy closet, clutching her arm. Scott gently took the brunette's wrist and moved the arm to examine multiple bloody scratches.

"I'm okay. I'm fine." Allison breathed out, reassuring the other three.

"I'm sorry. I didn't- I didn't mean to do that." Isaac gasped from the spot he had scrambled over to, sounding ashamed.

"I'm okay."

"I'm so sorry." The shaken boy seemed incredibly upset with himself for his previous actions. Marlee squatted next to him and put a hand on his shoulder, hoping to comfort him. As she did this, she took a good look at Isaac for the first time. In this light, she could tell that his hair was actually a nice brown, compared to the hue of blonde it had appeared to be in the sunlight on Saturday. His regular eye color contrasted with the beta color, blue like her own. Overall, Isaac Lahey was a good-looking guy and she could see why he had been as cocky as he was after receiving the bite. (Stiles had made a bitter jab or two during the meeting the other day.) Marlee thought back to the rage she had experienced when he had mentioned how his piece of shit for a father used to lock him up in a chest freezer. No wonder he had flipped, being trapped in a small enclosure like that. She silently thanked whoever was listening that her own dad hadn't been like that.

"It's not his fault." Allison insisted as Scott looked over at the two sitting on the floor.

"I know. I guess now we know that they want to do more than get you angry. They want to get someone hurt. They also admitted to being there on Saturday and wrecking Marlee's car."

"So, are we going to do something?" Isaac asked, looking a bit frustrated.

"Yeah. I'm gonna get them angry. Really angry." Scott stated, determined.

Marlee stood up and smirked. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

For the rest of lunch, the four of them planned it all out as they worked on straightening up the closet. They had automatically agreed that the matching black motorcycles were to be used in the scheme. As everything began to fall into place, the blonde girl's expression was reminiscent of the Grinch smiling. During her art class, when Marlee wasn't attempting to draw Beacon Hills Preserve, she was texting with Allison and Scott. The bell rang, signaling the end of class and the beginning of her free period; Marlee hiked her backpack up on her shoulders and prepared to get into position.

Once she had slipped into the empty classroom at the end of the hall and got settled, she remained quiet and waited for her phone to vibrate. Marlee cackled in delight when she opened Allison's text to find a picture of Isaac posing on Aiden's motorcycle. She switched over to her camera app and turned it to "video". This was almost too easy. It was almost enough to make her like Jennifer Blake, who seemed to be oblivious to the fact that Scott McCall had walked into her final class of the day when she had already had him at the beginning of the day.

The faint roar of an engine caused her body to start pumping adrenaline and a wide grin spread across Marlee's face when the douchebag bike appeared at the opposite end of the hallway. She hit "record" on her cellphone and watched through the screen as Isaac revved the engine and started towards her. Aiden charged out of the English classroom, fuming, and blocked the way.

"Get off my bike!"

Reveling in his payback, Isaac removed the helmet he wore.

"No problem."

 _What a badass!_ Marlee thought as she watched him put his hands on Aiden's shoulders and did a flip over the bastard.

Soon enough, students began to pour out of the classrooms and the smug, little troublemaker with the camera adjusted herself so she could continue to film through the gaps between kids. Ms. Blake pushed ahead of the others and stormed forward in her dainty black heels.

"You have got to be kidding me! You realize this is going to result in a suspension."

Marlee let out a short laugh at the look on Aiden's face as he heard his punishment and at Isaac jokingly placing a hand in front of his mouth as if to say, _"Oooooh, oh no, she din't."_

Both twins glared at the three satisfied teens mingling with everyone else. Scott raised his eyebrows at them before glancing back at the door behind the sea of people. He beamed as the object of his affections looked at him from over her phone and gave him a smile that reached her eyes. Marlee sent Scott a thumbs up to confirm that she had gotten the entire thing on film.

Mission accomplished.

That night at the Decker household, Marlee was dancing around her room with an unamused Edgar in her arms, blasting an upbeat playlist she had pieced together. Today had been one of the greatest days she had been faced with in a long time. For the moment, everything seemed to be alright- maybe even better than alright. She felt fantastic, like she was on top of the world. If someone had told her a couple of weeks ago that she would be this happy in Beacon Hills, she would have laughed right in their face and told them to go fuck themselves. There was absolutely no way she would have believed it for a second.

Speaking of such a day, Marlee's phone began to ring. Pausing her music, she could see 'Superman Scott' lighting up her iPhone's screen. Still holding on to Edgar, she sat down and accepted the call.

"Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?"

Scott chuckled, despite the serious nature of the call.

"Hey! Listen, there's a couple of things I need to talk to you about…"


	6. Chapter 6

**I have incredibly legitimate excuses for why this was so late. Including the fact that I got the stomach flu last week, spent a day dying and sleeping, and had "hangover" days afterwards. Maybe this chapter will make up for it.**

 **Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed this story! Keep it up with the reviews, guys. I love knowing how people are feeling about this so far.**

 **IdaRose89: I wanted to address your review for multiple reasons. First of all, thank you! I love that you love this story so far. I'm glad to see that I'm keeping everyone in character. I'm really glad that you brought up Scott being a little more open when romance is involved. Scott, as we all know, is an established character on _Teen Wolf_ already. For me, it kind of came naturally to write him this way. I was surprised at first because I didn't think that he would develop feelings this quickly but that's how it progressed. Allison and Marlee are two different people at different points in Scott's life. With Allison being his first love and being there at the beginning of his time as a werewolf, he was more puppy-love and not as secure about everything going on around him. By the beginning of 3A, you could tell that he's grown up a bit and he's matured. He's more confident and knows more about everything he's feeling. I also didn't expect Marlee to accept the pack that quickly and I wasn't pleased with it at first. As I've been preparing for 3B though, I found that Marlee's past fears and insecurities will be making a more prominent appearance during that time. Which brings me to Kira. I do plan on bringing her into the story and I do have plans for her. Not only will she shake things up for Scarlee (my personal couple name for them) but I already have an idea for her romance. (While rewatching an episode in 3B the other day, there was a distinct moment that let me know that I was going in the right direction.) Last but not least, since Marlee's conception, I've been planning on having this kind of dynamic between her and Peter. He's definitely a fan of her being rude and sassy.**

 **You know the drill: Marlee's outfits can be found at my Polyvore account 'earthdiva'. I also make edits for this story but if you're not really a big fan of Polyvore, you can follow me on Tumblr 'missunderstoodxoxo' and see them. I also tag them as 'Marlee Decker' so you can look them up that way as well. I do reblog things on Tumblr that serve as inspiration for this story (you may even get an idea of where this story will head) so feel free to see what I've tagged as "Marlee inspo" and "Scarlee".**

 **I'd also like to take the time to mention a blog on Tumblr called 'fyeahteenwolfocs'. It's focused on the amazings OCs featured in _Teen Wolf_ stories and shares posts made by the authors and their friends. Make sure to check it out and follow! **

**Inspiration for this chapter: "The Kids Aren't Alright" by Fall Out Boy (don't ask me why, I just listened to it a lot while writing this chapter) and "Free Like You Make Me" by Cary Brothers**

 **Disclaimer: I only own Marlee, Virginia, Colin, Delaney Keating (portrayed by Blythe Danner, who also happens to be Gwyneth Paltrow's mother in real life), Edgar, and the car known as Ron Burgundy. Everything else belongs to the rightful owners.**

* * *

"What is Coach even thinking? This sure as hell doesn't look like cross country weather." Marlee leaned forward from the backseat of Allison's car, looking out the windshield at the storm starting up ahead.

Lydia scoffed from the passenger seat, flipping through her textbook.

"Finstock has never forfeited anything in his entire career as a coach. It could be the actual apocalypse and he'd still expect them to run."

"Well, at least they'll be in shape to run away from the zombies." Marlee fell back into her seat, crossing her arms over her chest.

The redhead rolled her eyes at that. "We have already been over this. There is no scientifically possible way for there to ever be a zombie apocalypse."

"Oh yeah? It's also not scientifically possible for there to be werewolves, kanimas, and Darachs. Yet here we are."

"She has a point." Allison commented, taking her eyes off of the road for a second to glance at Lydia.

"If it ever _does_ come down to a zombie apocalypse, I'm leaving you both behind."

"I'll trip you and take Stiles with me instead," Marlee muttered, pulling her hood over her eyes, "he has a bat."

"Okay, guys," Allison interrupted before the two of them could take it any further, "how about we just focus on the Alpha pack and the Darach for now?"

* * *

" _So, you're telling me that this 'Darach' took Harris? I mean, come on, I know the guy's a dick but he doesn't deserve to die."_

" _They'll probably find his body in the morning, if they're lucky." Scott responded from the other end._

 _Marlee let out a bitter laugh as Edgar started to wriggle out of her arms. "God, how messed up is it that we consider it lucky if the cops find the body of our physics teacher the day after he's murdered?"_

 _A sigh was heard through the phone. "Welcome to Beacon Hills."_

 _The struggling cat, who was still weirded out by his new owner's change in behavior, managed to escape her clutches and used his paw to open the previously ajar door._

" _Screw you!" Marlee yelled after her fleeing furry companion._

" _I'm sorry?" Scott sounded confused by her exclamation._

" _Edgar just made a jailbreak from my room. He's probably going to go jump on the kitchen table in protest. Bastard."_

" _Oh, I see." There was a bit of teasing in his voice, causing Marlee to pout, even though she knew he couldn't see her._

" _Speaking of new housemates, you said Isaac's staying with you now. Derek never mentioned why he needed Isaac to leave?"_

" _All he said was that there wasn't enough room for Isaac since Cora was living in the loft now. He threw a glass at him too."_

" _What a douche-canoe." She snorted._

* * *

"Am I getting too close? I'm- I'm getting way too close, aren't I?" Allison spluttered in a high-pitched voice from the driver's seat.

Despite the storm that had loomed ahead earlier, the sun had decided to make an appearance. It made the landscape around them look kind of beautiful. If Marlee didn't know any better, she could almost believe that they were just a trio of girls going on an actual road trip of sorts. Lydia and Marlee had each told their mothers that they were spending the weekend at Allison's, as both women were unaware of all the things going bump in the night. The brunette had assured her two friends that Chris Argent would back up that statement if need be.

"That depends," Lydia answered as she played with her hair, "are you just following the bus or are you planning on mounting it at some point?"

"Sexual!" Marlee called from the back, not looking up as she occupied herself by playing with the strings on her jacket.

"Yeah, I should back off."

"Well, that also depends. Oh, do you mean the bus or the ex-boyfriend you're currently stalking?"

That made Marlee look up. She turned towards the front seats and listened carefully to the conversation.

"Well, after what happened, I'm not letting him out of my sight."

"Hm." Lydia seemed skeptical at that statement.

"Plus Scott and I decided that we're better off as friends; we have different interests now. And by the way, this started when he came knocking at _my_ door."

"For what?"

As Allison recounted what happened, each of their minds strayed just a little bit. While she herself was talking about Scott's visit, she couldn't help but remember a point in her conversation with him. They had briefly touched on the subject of their current relationship and both had agreed that things were going well the way they were. It was definitely reinforced on her part by the 'weak in the knees' feeling she had experienced when she and Isaac got Aiden's bike ready for their payback. Lydia had also mentioned the potential in Scott and Marlee as a couple recently. It honestly wasn't the worst idea in the world and as Scott's first love, she had caught the occasional looks that he had sent the blonde occupying her backseat.

Lydia was thinking about everything that was going on… and Aiden. She was definitely thinking about Aiden. Of course, since they were talking about Scott at the moment and Allison had said that the two of them planned on staying just friends…

Marlee pushed away the thoughts and questions that popped into her own head and got lost in the memory of a conversation she had been a part of not that long after she had hung up with Scott the other night.

* * *

 _Marlee paced back and forth, internally arguing with herself. She knew if there was anyone that she could go to for information, it was her grandmother. Marlee's great-grandmother had been Irish, which meant she had Celtic roots, while Marlee's great-grandfather was a mix of other European countries. They had married young and had four children, her grandmother being one of those kids. Finally working up the nerve to call, she dialed the number before she could chicken out._

" _Marlee, dear, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Virginia's effortless elegance had to have come from somewhere and that source happened to be Delaney Keating. Marlee's grandmother was the type of woman who was tough as nails but had an air of regality about her. Sometimes the young woman couldn't help but wonder why it seemed that she had not been given this particular quality._

" _Hey, Grandma," Marlee spoke into the phone, "I know this is going to seem pretty random but what do you know about Druids and Darachs?"_

 _The line was silent for a moment before Delaney said, "Marlee, what on Earth have you gotten yourself into?"_

 _The blue-eyed blonde's body jolted at her grandmother's words. What kind of question was that? How could she possibly know that there was anything going on?_

" _I have no idea what you're talking about."_

" _Oh, please, I wasn't born yesterday. Druids were wise, they were philosophers and advisors- but more so to werewolves than anything else. The fact that you're asking about them, let alone a Darach, leads me to believe you are getting involved in something you should not be messing with."_

" _What the hell? How do you even know about all of this?"_

" _You're just like my mother. Always poking her nose where she shouldn't and making friends with the wrong people- or the right people, depending on your perspective."_

 _Despite the mild scolding she was receiving, Marlee could practically hear the smile in Delaney's voice at that last part._

" _That's a story for a different day though. Now, I'm sure whatever it is that you got yourself into, you're not going to back out of it now. You're too stubborn for your own good. Here's what you're going to need to know…"_

* * *

Lydia had gone back to reading and highlighting her textbook about twenty minutes before but at that moment, she pulled her head out of her book to speak.

"So, is that whole 'not letting them out of your sight' thing literal or more like a general rule?"

"Why?"

"You're running on fumes." The genius stated in a matter-of-factly fashion.

Allison glanced at her fuel gauge and groaned, "Ugh."

"Yeah- and I'm pretty sure that bus holds a lot more gas than this Toyota."

"Not helping!" Came from the back.

"What if we stop?" Allison proposed.

"Is it really that big of a deal?" The redhead lightly chuckled at her friend. "So, we lose them. We know where they're headed."

"You didn't see what happened." The girl responded with a shake of her head.

"Well, I know who started it." Lydia muttered.

Marlee's jaw dropped. Did she hear that right? Did Lydia actually think that the Alpha pack _didn't_ start all of that bullshit? The betas on the bus in front of them did not deserve that. Derek Hale did not die for that kind of shit to be said. This was un-fucking-believable.

"Is that what Aiden told you?" The tone of Allison's question was the epitome of the phrase, 'So done.'

"Ooooooh." Marlee quietly said from the backseat, faintly wishing that she had some popcorn.

"Aiden? Whoa, whoa, whoa- hold on a second. Is that why you invited me on this whole little road trip thing? Oh my gosh, you're keeping an eye on them _and_ me."

"So, there's nothing going on between you two?"

"I am appalled by the insinuation." Lydia responded, gesturing towards herself.

"You're full of shit! You sit on a throne of lies!" Marlee jested from the backseat.

"Nothing?" Allison smiled at their friend, teasingly.

There was a moment of hesitance before the strawberry-blonde reaffirmed, "Nothing."

"Sure, Jan."

"Marlee, enough with your memes!"

Not even a moment later, Lydia was fixing her lipstick nonchalantly and the two other girls in the car couldn't help but look at her skeptically.

"What?"

The subject was dropped when Allison's Toyota came to a screeching halt as vehicles snaked along the interstate for miles.

"What is this?"

"You're intelligent. Surely you've heard of a traffic jam. Come on, say it with me, 'Traf-fic ja-aaaaa-mmmm.'"

"Remind me why I'm friends with you again." Lydia rolled her eyes.

"The hell if I know. You basically adopted me- or did I adopt you? I'm not too sure about how all of that went down. I think Scott technically adopted me first. Or, ya know, kept me against my own will."

"There's a tractor that was jackknifed further ahead," Allison looked up from her phone, "who knows how long that's going to need taking care of?"

* * *

" _Alright, I'll start off at the deli. Where are you going to go first?" Virginia looked up from the grocery list at her daughter._

" _I'll hit up the fruits and veggies." Marlee offered._

" _Okay, we need: carrots, spinach, blueberries, and apples. Come find me once you have those."_

" _Got it."_

 _Collecting everything her mother had asked her to grab had been going well until she reached the apples. As she went to grab ahold of a bag, another hand made contact with hers._

" _Sorry, I…" Marlee trailed off as she took in the two people standing next to her. One of the twins stood with an older man wearing dark-tinted aviators. Unless he was just a super douche, there was only one reason this guy would be wearing sunglasses indoors. If a twin was with him… that could only mean…_

" _Oh, that's quite alright. It's my fault really." He spoke with a British accent, sounding highly sophisticated despite his savage extracurricular activities. "Aiden, why don't you leave the two of us for a minute?"_

 _Soon, it was just Marlee and the man facing her. Even though he was blind, his eyes seemed to be directed at her own, as if he could see them._

" _Deucalion." She stated in a steely tone._

" _Ahhh, so, you've heard of me." The head alpha smirked. "You don't sound like the Argent girl in the apartment below mine. You also can't be the redhead, Lydia, as I didn't smell any lust coming from Aiden's direction. So… you must be Marlee."_

 _Her spine stiffened at his observation and the hairs stood up on the back of her neck. He knew who she was, he knew her by name. She did her best to suppress any rising panic. She refused to show this monster any fear._

" _I'm honestly a bit flattered. I see that you have heard of me as well. Oops, my mistake. You can't exactly 'see' anything, can you?"_

 _His smug façade faltered for a brief second._

" _Yes, I heard you were a bit of a mouthy one. It seems like your reputation suits you."_

" _What are you doing here? It can't be a coincidence that you're here at the same time as I am."_

" _Why, can't a man simply go grocery shopping? Does there have to be any nefarious intents?"_

" _If you were anyone else, I would say 'No.' But since you're a murderous asshole, I've gotta say 'Yeah, there really does.'"_

 _Aiden walked up at that moment to stand by his alpha- or something. Marlee wasn't really sure how that worked with everyone in that pack being alphas._

" _It was a pleasure to meet you, Marlee, but we really must be going. Be sure to say 'Hello' to Scott for me."_

 _With a parting grin, Deucalion was led away by the younger man, heading towards the front doors with noticeably no purchases in hand. Before the two werewolves got too far away, Marlee whipped out her phone and took a picture of them. She opened her thread of texts with Scott and sent him the image._

' _Deucalion says "Hi."'_

* * *

'I'm going to kill Stiles.' Danny's text read.

Lydia's introduction of her two friends had gone swimmingly. It was impossible for anyone to dislike Danny Māhealani and in turn, the young man found Marlee Decker to be surprisingly endearing. It was probably when she had pointed out, with a completely serious face, that their initials were each other's swapped around and the two of them were 'destined to meet' that he found himself approving of Lydia's new friend.

'Well, you are on a school bus going to a CC meet. You could dump his body on the side of the road.' She texted back with a smirk.

'Glad to have your support.'

'What's he doing anyway?'

'Kept texting me about Ethan. Asked me to find out why he kept checking his phone.'

Marlee frowned at that. Why exactly _was_ Ethan checking his phone? It wasn't like the three betas were back in Beacon Hills- except Cora and Peter were. Could that be why? Was the rest of the Alpha pack planning to wipe out the entire Hale family in revenge?

'And?' She sent Danny.

'And what?' Came the reply.

'And why was he checking his phone?' She internally sighed in exasperation.

'Not you too!'

'You got me all curious now. Spill the beans.'

'Someone who's like family to him is really sick. Might not make it through the night.'

What the fuck? Who the fuck? The only person who that could have been would have to be Ennis but he was dead, right? Then again, nobody in Beacon Hills seemed to stay dead.

* * *

"Did you call Deaton?"

Sigh. "I keep getting his voicemail."

"Alright, that's it. I'm calling Lydia and Allison." Stiles started to grab his phone out of his pocket.

"How are they going to help? They're back in Beacon Hills." Scott's voice was getting weaker with every passing minute.

"They're not. They've been following us for hours."

Stiles looked back at the girls' vehicle.

"Looks like they've got Marlee with them."

As Stiles turned towards the front and dialed Lydia's number, Scott turned his head to peer into the Toyota. He could see a head of blonde hair in the backseat.

"Pathetic." Stiles muttered.

* * *

The ladies had been messing around on their phones, trying to keep themselves entertained and avoid any conflicts. Lydia's began to trill and that's when things started to get interesting.

"Hey, Stiles" Lydia answered in a high-pitched voice, "Yeah, we're just about to walk into a movie. Uh, you know, the popcorn and that…"

Stiles' faint response could be heard before she admitted defeat and put it on speaker.

"Okay, look, Scott's still hurt."

Marlee sat up immediately and leaned in between the two girls, looking particularly concerned.

"What?"

"What do you mean 'still'? He's not healing?" Allison asked.

"No, he's not healing. I think he's actually getting worse. The blood's turning, like, a black color."

"Well, what's wrong with him?" Lydia inquired.

"'What's wrong with him?' I don't- do I have a PhD in Lycanthropy? How am I supposed to know that?"

"I'm getting real sick of your shit, dude." The little spitfire was completely aggravated at this point. The other two weren't experiencing this as far as she knew. This shouldn't have been happening.

"We need to get him off the bus." Allison's mind started to form a plan.

"And take him where? A hospital?" As if that was the most ridiculous thing the female Einstein had ever heard.

"If he's dying, yeah." The brunette nodded.

 _Okay, how about we don't use the 'D' word?_

"Stiles, there's a rest area about a mile up. Tell the coach to pull over."

"Yeah, I've been trying."

"Well, reason with him."

" _Reason_ \- have you met this guy?"

"Tell Coach that you want to challenge Greenberg to a fight. He'd pay big money to see that, I'm sure." Marlee suggested.

"I'm not going to tell him that!"

"Why the hell not?"

"Because then he'll expect me to actually fight Greenberg!"

"Take one for the team, Stilinski!"

"Just try something." Allison stressed, slumping over the steering wheel as the call ended.

Despite everything going on, Lydia turned in her seat to raise an eyebrow and smirk at Marlee.

"You seemed pretty worried about Scott."

Marlee rolled her eyes at the scheming redhead. She needed to start keeping that girl and Virginia away from each other. Those two concocted the craziest ideas together.

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Mmhm." Lydia continued to give her a knowing look as she turned back around.

"I'm not!"

Marlee contradicted herself as she spoke, pulling out her own cellphone to text Scott. (Not that anyone else needed to know that though.)

'Get your shit together, McCall.'

It didn't take too long for Marlee to get a response.

'I'm trying.'

Marlee knew he probably was trying as hard as he could. Isaac and Boyd had already healed yet Scott was still ripped up and bleeding.

She responded with 'If you die, I'll kill you' and added a little skull emoji after it.

Right after she had sent the text, Marlee thought maybe that wasn't something she should've said, given recent events. Apparently he wasn't too affected by her words though as he quickly sent back 'That doesn't make sense' with the emoji that was laughing and crying.

Marlee smiled a bit at that, unaware of her friends glancing back at her in the rearview mirror with smiles of their own.

She shot him a text saying 'I never do' and ended it with a winking emoji without a second thought. It was only as the bus in front of them started to pull over that she reconsidered what she had sent.

"Jared, you suck!" The three girls heard Finstock yell out of a bus window as they exited their vehicle, watching as the cross country team attempted to keep from gagging.

Stiles and Allison supported Scott as the five of them made their way to a scummy-looking men's restroom; a feeling of dread grew in the pit of Marlee's stomach as she spotted the blood on his shirt. The two gently set him down and Allison gasped as she lifted up his shirt to look at the grotesque injury.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Sorry." He muttered.

As the other three moved back to discuss what to do about the situation, Marlee stayed kneeling on the bathroom floor in front of Scott.

"I'm so mad at you right now." Marlee said to him softly, moving his sweaty locks away from his forehead.

"Why?" He replied, barely audible.

"Well, for one, you're an idiot for not taking care of this sooner. Second, this floor is a hell of a lot dirtier than the ones at Walmart."

Scott's lips twitched up for a second, an attempt at showing his amusement and appreciation. Marlee was doing her best to take his mind off of the wound and keep him conscious. For that, he was thankful.

"Hey, Scott, you gotta stay awake. Try to keep your eyes open."

She scooted off to the side as the others quickly jumped into action. She felt a little useless but she figured she might as well stay out of the way.

 _You always get in the way._

Marlee sat and watched as Allison tried to thread the needle while mumbling to herself. She wanted to help the struggling girl but this seemed to be something that the brunette needed to do on her own.

"I'm trying." Allison's voice raised a bit. There was only silence in the air until she said, "My hands won't stop shaking."

 _Maybe talking to herself helps her calm down? It's worth a shot._

A sound of frustration filled the room, followed by a few sobs and whimpers. Marlee was about to ask her friend if she needed help but thought better of it when she blurted out, "Clinically!"

 _What's happening right now?_

"And unemotionally- and unemotionally."

Most people would probably think about telling Allison to seek professional help of some sorts but in a way, Marlee understood. Sometimes you had to speak out loud, sometimes there were things that couldn't just be said in your head.

Taking a deep breath, Allison was finally able to thread the needle and stitch Scott up… only to find that he wasn't breathing.

"Scott…" She repeated, over and over again.

 _He can't be dead. He can't be dead._ Marlee was freaking out, more or less. Why did this always happen? Why did this always seem to happen to the people she cared about?

She moved forward on her hands and knees- cringing the entire time as she thought about the kind of crap that was probably on this floor- to be next to the two.

"Scott!"

This time, Allison got a result. Scott jolted to consciousness with a gasp, taking in a few gulps of air.

"It's my fault."

"Scott, look at me." Allison moved his chin so they made eye contact. "It's okay."

She looked down at the stitched up wound and glided her fingertips over it, barely touching it.

"Did you do that?"

"Yeah." She breathed out.

"Nice." He commented.

Allison let out a shaky laugh as Marlee silently appreciated the fact that the boy in front of them wasn't gone forever.

"Can you stand?"

The blonde backed up to give them some space and hiked the cross country bag up on a shoulder while Allison helped a groaning Scott stand up.

"Okay, put this on."

The huntress helped him slip a shirt over his head. After he was fully clothed, their companion moved around to his other side and gently placed one of his arms around her shoulders.

"Hey, Brown Eyes." Marlee's voice was just above a whisper as she faintly smiled at Scott, relieved that he was okay.

"Hey, Marlee." His smile still made her heart stutter for a beat, even when he was an absolute mess a moment ago.

 _You stop that shit right now._ She scolded herself.

After Allison placed Scott's other arm around her shoulders, the girls helped him walk out of the bathroom and into the afternoon light.

"Is he okay? Are you okay?" Lydia asked as she ran up to the three of them.

"Yeah," Scott breathed out, "Stiles… where's Stiles?"

"Trying to stall Coach." Lydia answered, taking the bag from Marlee's other arm and walking alongside them. "We still don't have gas."

"I'm not leaving him." Allison answered.

"He's stuck with me now." Marlee added in. "You'll have to pry me off with a crowbar."

"Then we have to leave the car."

"Sounds good."

"What? That wasn't an actual suggestion. Allison, wait!"

Lydia looked over at the Toyota for a second.

"Ahh, screw it!"

* * *

 _The harsh light of her phone lit up Marlee's dark bedroom as it buzzed on her bedside table. The words 'Super Scott' were all across the screen. Groaning, she answered the call and brought her phone up to her ear._

" _Scott, it's the middle of the night."_

" _Derek's dead."_

 _The combination of his words and the tone of despair made her sit up in bed._

" _Wait, what? What do you mean 'Derek's dead'? You can't be serious."_

" _Isaac and I went to meet with Deucalion…"_

" _By yourselves?!" Marlee interrupted. "Scott, that was risky as fuck! He could have seriously hurt the two of you! He's got a whole pack of homicidal werewolves at his disposal!"_

" _I know but if we had just let Derek and the others go after him, they all could have died."_

" _So, what happened?"_

" _I… I got Derek killed. I didn't realize that he had shown up with Boyd and Cora but I also didn't realize that Deucalion had brought his pack. They had all of us at their mercy but then Allison showed with a couple of flashbang arrows. I went up against Ennis and he almost had me beat but Derek started after him and while the two were fighting near the edge… I swiped at Ennis' leg and he started to fall… and he took Derek with him. They fell onto the escalators below."_

" _Scott, you didn't mean for that to happen, alright? You were trying to help Derek. If anyone's at fault, it's Ennis."_

" _But if I hadn't…"_

" _You listen to me, Scott McCall! What happened tonight was not your fault. You didn't know any of that was going to happen and you didn't plan on it happening. Now, I want the two of you to go to bed and get some sleep. Both you and Isaac sound like you need it. Got it?"_

" _Yeah…"_

" _Good. And Scott?"_

" _Yeah?"_

" _I'm glad you're okay."_

* * *

The crowd of students was hard to miss as the four teens approached. Stiles was standing at the edge of the fray, looking on in disbelief.

"Stiles, what's happening?"

"He went after him. I told him what was happening with you and he just went after him."

"Who, Boyd?" Scott quickly moved towards the fight, concerned about whoever had decided to engage the alpha twin in a fight.

To their surprise, it wasn't the sturdy beta at the center of attention. Boyd was watching in satisfaction as an enraged-looking Isaac wailed on Ethan, whose blood had spurted out of what must have been a busted lip at one point. Marlee thought that there was a vague sense of justice in all of it. At the beginning of the week, Isaac had been wrongfully placed in lunch detention for supposedly beating up the other guy in the hallway. Now, he was actually getting to do so.

"Isaac!"

Coach was attempting to rein him in while Danny tried to pull Isaac away from his boyfriend, only to be pushed back. It almost looked as if Ethan was smiling up at Isaac, egging him on. Scott pushed through the shouting teenagers gathered around the tree, some of them filming the entire thing on their phones, to stand next to his friend.

"ISAAC!"

There it was again. For the second time in less than a week, Marlee stared at Scott in wonder. Both times Scott had used that tone, Isaac had immediately stopped attacking. The crowd had fallen silent and watched as Isaac slowly turned to look at his friend, lips twitching as he realized Scott was okay. Danny moved forward to check on his asshole of a boyfriend. The whispers of gossiping teens started to rise until Marlee spoke up.

"Okay, alright- nothing to see here. Get back on the bus, ya vultures. Come on, let's go- Hey! Greenberg, don't give me that look! I'll shove my foot so far up your ass, you'll be spitting shoelaces for a week!"

When she was sure no one else was looking in their direction, Marlee clapped Isaac on the shoulder.

"Nice job, Lahey. Excellent work."

"Marlee…" Lydia started in a warning tone.

"What? If I could actually do it, I'd kick Ethan's ass all the way to Timbuktu."

* * *

After all of the excitement, everyone got settled on the bus. Marlee claimed the seat in the very back across from Allison and Scott, stretching out so no one else could sit there.

"What?" She asked as her friends shot her amused looks. "I'm making sure that no random civilians overhear all of our craziness. You want them to have us committed? Didn't think so."

Honestly, Marlee tuned out Lydia and Stiles' conversation after the word 'Darach' was brought up. She was getting real fucking tired of this psychopath taking over every aspect of their lives- well, at least the parts that weren't already filled up with Alpha pack fuckery.

"You know, if he's really dead," she overheard Allison telling Scott, "it's not your fault."

The lone girl could see his lips form the word 'maybe', causing her to frown. She wondered how many times they would have to tell him that what had happened wasn't his fault before he actually started to believe it.

"But remember that whole thing that we talked about where I wasn't accusing you of being there and if you were there, you shouldn't be?" Scott asked his friend.

Allison nodded in response.

"Thanks for not listening."

Allison let out a quiet laugh as she looked at his eyes, like if she searched them well enough, she would be able to see that flicker of red again.

"What?"

"Just looking at your eyes." She smiled at him.

Marlee grinned at the two of them, glad that they were both doing fine after the stressful events of the day, before closing her eyes and pressing 'play' on her music. She missed the way Scott looked past Allison's shoulder to peer at her with a smile. As Marlee let the lyrics take her somewhere else, she finally started to relax a bit.

She had no way of knowing that the day was far from over…

 **I'm looking forward to working on the "Motel California" chapter some more. It's definitely going to be an emotional chapter.**

 **Reviews are appreciated!**


	7. Chapter 7

**What's this? Could it be? A second chapter in less than a week? It's a miracle!**

 **It helps that I've been itching to write the chapter for "Motel California" for a while now. This was a very personal chapter for me to write and I hope it leaves a high impression.**

 **Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed, or reviewed this story!**

 **Song inspiration for this chapter: "Hotel California" by The Eagles, "Little Toy Guns" by Carrie Underwood, "When I'm Gone" by 3 Doors Down, "Leave Out All the Rest" by Linkin Park, "When It Rains" by Paramore, "Angels on the Moon" by Thriving Ivory, "The Sound of Silence" by Disturbed (a cover of Simon and Garfunkel), "Revelation" by Dino Meneghin (the song originally used in the iconic scene), "Save You" by Matthew Perryman Jones, "Fix You" by Coldplay, and "Barton Hollow" by The Civil Wars.**

 **I would highly suggest that if you don't listen to it the first time you read it, go back and listen to "Save You" while reading the scene on the bus. (Trust me, you'll know which scene I'm talking about when you get to it.)**

 **Disclaimer: I own only the Decker/Keating clan (including Edgar) and the car known as Ron Burgundy. Everything else belongs to the respectful owners.**

" _DAD!"_

 _The people that had gathered watched the heartbreaking scene unfold in front of them._

 _Virginia Decker, a well-liked woman in the community, was sobbing uncontrollably on a neighbor's shoulder. No one ever would have thought that this would happen to her._

 _What caught their attention the most though was the altercation taking place a few yards ahead of the pair. A young teenage girl was thrashing in the hold of several individuals keeping her at bay. Marlee violently kicked out at them as she attempted to surge forward._

" _GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF OF ME! DAAAAAD!"_

 _Her voice cracked in places as she screamed, choking on her emotions._

" _NOOOO! NOOOOOOOOOO!"_

 _Her throat had started to feel raw a moment ago as her hysterical wails seemed to shred it- yet she still persisted. Eventually, her shrieks turned into wordless sobs as she sunk down onto her knees, defeated and grieving._

 _All anyone could do was watch the family before them fall apart._

* * *

"Marlee? Marlee."

A prodding at her ankle thrusted her back into the present, causing the blonde's eyelids to flutter open. It took a moment for her sight to adjust. The sun had fully set and the passing world outside of the school bus was dark. Four sets of eyes were staring at her in curiosity and concern. Marlee was still stretched out on the seat, one of her earbuds dangling with faint music playing from it.

"You okay?" Allison's eyebrows furrowed. She had been trying to wake Marlee up for the past two minutes but the girl hadn't stirred whatsoever. Scott had noticed the huntress' unsuccessful attempts to wake their friend up, quickly followed by Stiles and Lydia.

"Yeah, I'm totally fine. Just exhausted from sitting all day." Marlee joked a bit, playing off their worries. There was no reason for the rest of them to have to bear the burden of her bullshit.

"Okay then. Coach said we're only a few miles out from the motel we're staying at for the night."

"If it's the Bates Motel, I'm out. I'm hitchhiking home."

Lydia rolled her eyes good-naturedly at that.

"Marlee, _Psycho_ is a fictional film and it would be a lot more dangerous to hitchhike home than to stay a night in a killer motel."

"You wanna bet? When Norman Bates is trying to murder you in the shower, don't come crying to me."

And with that positive note, Marlee spent the rest of the drive loudly singing "Hotel California".

"Welcome to the Hotel California, such a lovely place (such a lovely place), such a lovely face…"

They slowed and came to a halt in front of a building with giant neon letters on the side. The place looked like it had seen its heyday in the sixties, maybe the seventies if it was lucky. The students made their way off of the bus, taking in the sight in front of them.

"I've seen worse." Scott attempted to make light of the situation.

"Where have you seen worse?" Stiles asked in disbelief.

The piercing sound of Coach's whistle cut off any answer Scott could have given.

"Listen up! The meet's been pushed till tomorrow. This is the closest motel with the most vacancies and least amount of good judgment when it comes to accepting a bunch of degenerates like yourselves. You'll be pairing up. Choose wisely."

Marlee gazed up at the glowing _Glen Capri_ sign, a hollowness in her chest cavity. She wasn't a stranger to that feeling- or should she say 'lack of feeling'? The fact that it was surfacing now was like a warning. She wanted to grab the others, drag them onto the bus, and drive far away.

"I've got a bad feeling about this place."

Each key was taken from Finstock, one by one, as he called after the first few pairs, "And I'll have no sexual perversions perpetrated by you little deviants. Got that? Keep your dirty little hands to your dirty little selves!"

The bus pulled away- Marlee desperately wishing that they were all on it and headed back to Beacon Hills- as everyone made their way towards their rooms. Lydia stayed rooted to the spot she had been in since her feet had touched the ground. Allison turned back towards the redhead, causing Marlee to stop and look at their frozen friend as well.

"Lydia?"

"I don't like this place." Her eyes scanned their surroundings.

 _So, she feels it too? That there's something off here?_

"I don't think the people who own this place like this place." Allison chuckled. "It's just for a night."

"A lot can happen in one night."

* * *

Tired after all that had happened that day, the two best friends fell back onto the beds that they would be sleeping in that night.

"All right, so I have four." Stiles immediately got down to business.

"Four? You have four suspects?"

"Yeah. It was originally ten. Well, nine technically, I guess. I had Derek on there twice."

"So, who's number one? Harris?" Scott turned his head back to look up at the ceiling.

"Just because he's missing doesn't mean he's dead." Stiles reasoned.

"So, if he's not dead, our chemistry teacher is out secretly committing human sacrifices?"

"Yeah, I guess that just sounded way better in my head."

"Well, what if it's somebody else from school? Like, remember Matt? We didn't know that he was killing people."

Stiles sat up with a look of indignation on his face.

"Excuse me? I'm sorry- what? I- yes, we did. I called that from day one."

He got to his feet as Scott began to sit up.

"Yeah, but we never really seriously thought that it was Matt."

"I was serious. I was quite serious, actually. Deadly serious. No one listened to me!" Stiles exclaimed. "Okay, if we're going off of people we go to school with- what if it's Marlee?"

"It's not." Scott stated.

"Come on, she arrived in town around the same time as the Alpha pack and since it's not them killing people for some weird ritual, it could be her."

"It's not." He repeated, sternly. "Deaton already told me that he's almost certain that she's only human."

"Yeah, 'ALMOST'."

"So, who are the other three?" Scott asked, taking the focus off of their new friend.

* * *

"I can sleep on the floor." Marlee offered as the three girls entered the room that they would be sharing for the night.

"Ewww." Lydia wrinkled her nose. "Do you know what is currently _and_ previously has been on this carpet? There have been studies about things in hotel rooms…"

"Seeing as you're basically a humanoid version of the internet, I'm sure that you do. I, on the other hand, would be completely content with not knowing." She answered, flopping down on one of the beds. "Just hand me a pillow and a blanket later and I'll be good to go."

"Do you also know what's on that comforter you're currently laying on?"

"Okay!" The disgusted girl sprung back up, ignoring the brunette silently laughing at their conversation off to the side. "I'm going to go use the little ladies' room. Don't even try to tell me facts about hotel bathrooms. I don't want to know! I'll put toilet paper down on the seat."

After doing her business, Marlee studied herself in the mirror. She hadn't changed all that much in the past two years, physicality-wise. She was a little bit taller and she wore a few different hairstyles but otherwise, there wasn't that much of a difference between that fateful day and now. If anything, the biggest contrast was her eyes. When Marlee would do her makeup in the mornings, her eyes would shine with a hint of hope and excitement for the new day. That light had been almost completely extinguished when she had gotten into the habit of trying to survive until she could go back to bed. The two weeks since she had met this group of people actually seemed to help, as she found herself smiling while getting ready lately.

Passing Lydia as she exited the bathroom, Marlee took up her previous spot and spent some time trying to work the busted-looking TV in their room. The television only produced a screen of black and white dots and lines moving around. After doing this for a number of minutes, she turned it off with a groan.

"Guys, I'm gonna hit the shower. I feel like I'm covered in grime from that rest stop earlier."

Lydia stood up, smoothing out her dress. "Speaking of which, I'm going to go get some new towels from the front desk. The ones we have smell like nicotine."

"Delightful."

Allison started to follow the other girl out the door, mentioning something about going to call her father and check in with him.

They each set off to do their planned tasks.

Cursing herself for leaving her spare change of clothing in Allison's car, Marlee stripped down and put her carefully folded clothes on the counter. While the thought of putting them back on after getting clean wasn't exactly pleasant, she really didn't have much of a choice. Stepping into the shower, Marlee purposely turned the knob all the way. She let out a hiss as the scalding water stung her skin but she got used to the temperature after a moment or two. Her skin became a bright red color, almost like a sunburn, and she welcomed the change. The radiating heat kept her in the here and now, not allowing her mind to wander to the past. Her memories were a forbidden territory. She didn't want to remember that day. She was already constantly reminded of it and would continue to be reminded every day for the rest of her miserable life.

Hearing the sound of movement close by, she began to speak as she stuck her head out from behind the curtain.

"Lydia, did you get the extra tow- Jesus Christ!"

Scott was standing in the middle of the bathroom, staring at her with an odd expression. It was like he wasn't really all there, his body was present but his mind was faraway.

"What the hell, Scott? You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry," he responded in a monotone, "I was just looking for you."

"Yeah, well, you found me- and I'm kind of naked here so if you could kindly leave, that would be great."

"You and I are friends though, right?"

"Um, not the kind of friends who see each other naked!"

He gave her a predatory look as he moved a bit closer. "We could be."

Reaching blindly behind her, Marlee was able to grab ahold of a mini shampoo bottle.

"Get the fuck out!"

She chucked the bottle at Scott's head, watching it bounce off with a 'thunk!' and roll across the floor. That seemed to bring him out of whatever trance he was in.

"Marlee?"

He looked equally sheepish and mortified, his cheeks flushed as he realized the situation he was currently in.

"You good now? No more creepy bedroom eyes or dirty suggestions?"

"I- I'm so sorry." He stammered before stumbling out of the bathroom, shutting the door after him.

 _Note to self: Always lock the bathroom door._

* * *

"'Most guest suicides'? That's what she said?" Marlee slowly processed this new, morbid piece of information.

"Yes." Lydia confirmed.

"One hundred and ninety-eight?" Allison asked, having returned from talking with her father only a few minutes before.

Feeling a pit growing in her stomach, Marlee silently prayed that they would just drop the conversation. She knew better than that though. She knew she wasn't that lucky.

"Yes- and we're talking forty years. On average, that's… 4.95 a year, which… is actually expected. But who commemorates that with a framed number? Who does that? Who?"

"All suicides?" Allison clarified.

"Yes." Lydia answered, shaking her head in disbelief. "'Hanging, throat-cutting, pill-popping, both barrels of a shotgun in the mouth' suicides."

Marlee's mind slipped deeper into the abyss with every word, all of the wounds on her heart being mercilessly ripped open as her friend spoke. She couldn't breathe- oh God, she couldn't breathe. It felt like her lungs were collapsing in on themselves. _Fuck,_ she thought to herself, _fuck, fuck, fuckity_ _ **fuuuuuuuck**_ _! Don't you fucking dare! This is not the fucking time! Why-_

Lydia continued saying, "I don't know about you but I…"

She trailed off as she turned her head a bit, as if someone had spoken to her.

"Did you hear that?"

Neither Allison nor Marlee had heard anything except Lydia's voice.

"Hear what?" The former inquired.

It was silent as Lydia turned her body farther towards the wall behind her and slowly stood up. Placing a foot on the bed, she pushed herself up and walked towards the air vent.

"Lydia?" The blonde girl had stopped panicking as her concern for her friend grew.

It was only seconds later that the hyperventilating started.

"Lydia?" Allison tried.

Whatever was being heard from the other side of the wall made Lydia Martin back away, throwing her hand over her mouth to muffle her gasp.

"What is it, Lydia? What happened?"

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

The next words spoken made Marlee's blood run cold.

"The two people in the other room. They shot each other."

Hopping off of the bed, she dashed out of the room. Allison and Marlee exchanged concerned looks before going off after their horrified companion.

"Lydia." Marlee tried to get the alarmed girl's attention, in hopes of coaxing her back to their own room.

Apprehension seized every part of her body. If there really were two people who had been shot in that room…. The graphic images that appeared behind her eyelids were absolutely frightening.

She was ignored as the door next to theirs was pushed open. The three young women crowded in the doorway.

"Hello?" Lydia called out, reaching out to turn the lights on. It didn't work as the constant clicking of the switch moving up and down failed to produce anything. She inched forward into the dark motel room.

"Lydia? What are you doing?" Allison whispered.

"Hello?"

A light was turned on and exposed that the room was being renovated, nobody but themselves to be found.

 _Oh, thank God._

"It had to be right here. It was a guy and a girl and- they sounded younger but- they were here."

"I believe you. After everything that we've been through, I believe you."

"As much as I wish that I didn't because I'm kind of hoping that you didn't overhear two people killing themselves… I believe you too."

Looking around, the strawberry-blonde slowly made her way towards the wood paneling. She examined it for a moment before pivoting and heading right for the door. Once again, the remaining two took off after their friend who marched back to their room with a purpose. Marlee watched as Lydia started to gather up their things.

"You know, there is something seriously wrong about this place. We need to leave."

"But they were suicides, not murders- and it's not like this place is haunted, right?" Allison tried to reason.

 _Is that supposed to make it any better? Because it really doesn't!_

"Maybe it is. You know, I bet that couple made their suicide pact in that very room. Maybe that's why they're renovating. Maybe they've been scraping brain matter off of the wood paneling."

That was the type of image that Marlee had imagined a few minutes before yet it still made her cringe. She stayed silent, wishing that she would wake up and find herself still sleeping on the bus.

"Maybe we should found out."

The three girls locked up their room and made a journey down to the main desk, hoping to talk to that hag of a woman that Lydia had encountered earlier. (Marlee was surprised and a little disappointed as they passed a vending machine that had been smashed open and emptied. She really could have used something to eat.) The only thing that greeted them was a sign that said 'Be back at 6 am.'

"Well, there goes that." Lydia sighed.

"Didn't you say that the sign said 198?"

Eyes flashing to the sign, Marlee's spine stiffened as she saw the numbers '201' hanging on the framed board.

"It was 198. I swear to God, it was '198'."

"Okay, what does that mean? That there's been three more suicides?"

"Or three more are about to happen." Lydia realized.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?"

* * *

"Okay, well, have we noticed anything that could be considered as them acting weird? Weirder than usual, I mean."

Stiles had rushed down to the girls' room and they had quickly explained the situation to him. The four of them had come to the conclusion that the next three possible suicides had to be Scott, Isaac, and Boyd. With everything that had been happening lately, it was safe to assume that they were right.

"Scott showed up in the middle of the bathroom while I was showering earlier. He seemed really distant, like he wasn't right in the head." Marlee offered.

"Did he say anything?" Stiles prompted.

"He said that he was looking for me and I told him to leave because obviously I was naked. Then he told me that we could be the type of friends that see each other like that."

"And…?" The hyperactive teen gestured for her to continue.

"I threw one of those little hotel shampoos at his head and he got all embarrassed and left."

"The last time I saw Scott like that was during the full moon." Allison added.

"Yeah, I know. He was definitely a little off with me too. But actually, it was Boyd who was really off. I watched him put his fist threw the vending machine."

"That's what happened? I thought some kid took a baseball bat to it or something!"

"See! It is the motel. Either we need to get out of here right now or…" Lydia opened the bedside table drawer and pulled out a standard hotel bible, "someone needs to learn how to do an exorcism asap before the werewolves go crazy and kill us."

"What are we supposed to do? Call the freaking Ghostbusters?" Marlee threw her arms forward, gesturing towards Lydia.

"Okay, just hold on, alright." Stiles intervened. "What if it's not just the motel? The number in the office went up by three, right?"

"You mean like three sacrifices?" Allison caught on to what he was implying.

"What if this time it's three werewolves?

"Scott, Isaac, and Boyd."

"Exactly! So, can we get the hell out of here now? Please?" Lydia insisted.

"Okay, so, is this thing following us or something? We're miles and miles away from Beacon Hills and the Darach is still trying to mess with and potentially kill us." Marlee sat down on one of the beds. "Is it somebody who came here with us? A runner on the cross country team?"

"Scott and I were actually talking about that earlier. We were discussing that guy we told you about- the one that was controlling Jackson, remember?"

"Yeah, that Matt kid. So, it could hypothetically be someone in one of these rooms."

"Possibly…"

"Who cares?!" Lydia shouted before Stiles could continue. "Whether it's someone we know or not, there is definitely something happening here! Let's just grab them and go!"

Something in Lydia's hands seemed to have caught Stiles' eye as he went to reach for the Bible.

"Wait, hang on. Let me see this."

He opened the book up and pulled a slip of paper out from in between the pages.

"What is that?"

They all huddled together to look at a newspaper clipping.

"'28 Year-Old Man Hangs Self at the Infamous Glen Capri…'" Stiles read aloud.

After placing it down on the bed in front of them, he glanced at the other pages and went about shaking the book above the bed. Multiple clippings floated down onto the comforter. The four teenagers started to spread the articles out so they could read each one when Lydia noticed a key detail.

"Oh, no, no, no- look at these two. They both mention the room '217.' These are probably all of the suicides that happened in this room."

"If every room has a bible…" Allison mused.

"There could be articles in all the rooms." Lydia finished.

"Holy shit…" Marlee brought a hand up to cover her gaping mouth. Why would anyone do something like this? How sick and twisted did you have to be to leave these here with pride?

Stiles nodded before sarcastically commenting, "That's a beautiful thing. Most places leave a mint under the pillow. This one leaves a record of all the horrible deaths that occurred."

"What if the room next door has the one about the couple?"

"Great. We're going to need some rock salt and a few shovels." Marlee deadpanned.

They all looked at the door before Stiles took off. To their surprise, he was stuck jiggling the locked door handle, frantically.

"What? No, that was not locked before." Lydia started to panic again.

"Forget it. We need to get Scott, Isaac, and Boyd out of here."

Just as Stiles and Allison started to walk away, the sound of what Marlee knew to be a handsaw started from the other side of the door. Her dad had used one at work on numerous occasions.

"I'm not the only one who heard that, am I?" Lydia clarified.

"It sounds like someone turned on the handsaw."

"Someone definitely did turn on the handsaw." Marlee corrected.

"Handsaw?" Stiles repeated.

"Back up!"

At Marlee's order, the other three stood back as she positioned herself.

 _Those years of experiences with stubborn lockers are about to come in handy._

Picking up her leg, she kicked out sideways and slammed her foot just slightly to the side of the handle. The flimsy lock, the only kind that a piece of shit motel like this would have, was easily taken care of. Stiles rushed to swing the door open. The other two girls passed Marlee and followed him in.

Ethan stood on the other side of the room, slowly bringing the spinning blade of the handsaw towards his stomach.

"Hey, no! Ethan, don't!"

Stiles charged forward to grab the tool away from the wolf. The twin obviously wasn't going to give it up without a fight as the two men struggled for control.

Marlee's heart jumped up into her throat as Ethan threw the saw onto the floor and her friend began to fall face-first towards it. Lydia yanked the extension cord out of the wall and the blade spun to a stop with Stiles' face mere centimeters away. The alpha flicked each of his hands out by his sides, letting his claws extend. He brought them to the center of his torso, fully ready to tear himself apart. Allison and Stiles moved to grab ahold of his arms and bring them away from his person. As he fought against them, Ethan fell forward and attempted to brace himself on a space heater. He immediately let out a shout of pain as he rolled away and looked at his burnt hand. The absent look in his eyes had faded and he stood up, bewildered.

"What just happened?"

No one knew what to say and he didn't wait for an answer. Ethan bolted for the door.

"Hey, Ethan!" Stiles called after him.

"Ethan!" Marlee placed a hand on his bicep as he walked past her. He easily shook her off, continuing his escape as he began to button up his shirt.

"How did you get in there?" The sheriff's son interrogated

"I don't know!"

"Well, what were you doing there?"

"Didn't you hear what I just said?" He told the group as they followed him down the stairs. "I don't know how I got there or what I was doing."

"Okay, you could be a little bit more helpful, you know? We did just save your life." Stiles responded with his usual amount of sass.

"And you probably shouldn't have."

Stiles narrowed his eyes in irritation as the werewolf ran off into the night.

 _Probably to go spoon with Danny._ Marlee thought to herself.

"What now?" Lydia asked the question that they were all thinking.

"We'll go find Scott." Allison gestured to the determined-looking girl, who was standing a few steps higher than her, and herself. "You guys grab Isaac and Boyd. The best thing we can do is get them out of this place."

The blonde booked it up the stairs, her friend on her tail, and went to check Scott and Stiles' room. There was no sign of the beta anywhere. The two stood in front of the door and Marlee looked at the brunette. "You go that way," she pointed behind Allison, "I'll go this way." With a jerk of her thumb over her shoulder, she walked a few steps backwards before twisting herself around to walk the right way. She frantically searched every place that she could of, trying to call Scott's cellphone repeatedly as she went. Everyone staying there for the night should have considered themselves pretty damn lucky, seeing as she wasn't pounding on their doors, demanding to know if they had seen or heard from him.

"Come on… pick up, pick up, pick up…" She muttered as she waited to see if he would answer this time. Once again, she only got his voicemail.

" _Hey, this is Scott. I can't answer the phone right now. Leave a message and I'll get back to you."_

Instead of hanging up and dialing again, she waited for the beep.

"Scott, it's Marlee. Listen, something's up with this place and we need to get out of here right now. Okay? Call me back as soon as you get this."

A few minutes later, her phone started to ring. Bringing it up to look at the screen, Marlee almost growled in annoyance when she saw the name 'Allison' and not her nickname for the teen wolf.

"Yeah?" She tried her best not to snap into the phone.

"I can't find him anywhere."

"Same here." Marlee ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "Let's meet up in front of their room again."

When the two reunited, they made their way towards the stairs, only to run into Lydia and Stiles. Those two explained how they had used the flares from the bus to help the betas snap out of whatever the hell was going on with them. Isaac and Boyd were composing themselves emotionally back in their room and would meet up with the rest of them soon.

"We couldn't find Scott anywhere." Allison reported as they descended.

"I tried calling him and I kept getting his voicemail."

"It's happening to him too, isn't it?" Stiles asked.

"It has to be. Didn't you say there was another flare on the bus?"

"Yeah, I'll get it."

Everything went south as soon as they turned towards the parking lot.

The sound of something sizzling brought their attention to a person dimly lit by a ruby glow from the motel sign. Marlee could feel her body tensing up, paralyzed with fear. Her eyes began to water as she gazed at the resigned figure soaked in gasoline, holding the last flare in their hand.

 _Oh God, not again… not to him… please…_

"Scott." Allison was the first to shake the initial shock.

The four friends walked around the puddle of fuel to stand in front of him.

"Scott." She repeated, waiting for him to say something.

They could see now that the gas can laying on the ground was completely empty, he had used all of it.

"There's no hope."

"What do you mean, Scott? There's always hope."

"Not for me. Not for Derek."

They stood watching, feeling completely helpless. It would only take one good spark hitting the ground…

"Derek wasn't your fault." Allison tried to make him understand what they had all been telling him for days. "You know Derek wasn't your fault."

"Every time I try to fight back, it just gets worse. People keep getting hurt. People keep getting killed."

"Scott…" Marlee took a step forward, her voice cracking as her tears started to spill over.

"Marlee… I'm sorry we dragged you into this." He sounded so broken, it made everything inside of her ache.

"Scott, you- you didn't drag me into anything. I wouldn't be standing here right now if I didn't want to be. I chose this. I want to be here with you."

"Scott, listen to me, okay?" Stiles moved to stand beside her. "This isn't you, all right? This is someone inside your head telling you to do this. Okay?"

"What if it isn't? What if it is just me? What if doing this is actually the best thing that I could do for everyone else?"

Marlee held back a sob as the tears began to fall faster. This couldn't be happening.

 _He doesn't deserve this. None of them deserve this._

She had never felt more completely fucking useless than she did at that moment. She wanted to be able to do something. She needed him to be okay.

 _I_ _ **need**_ _you to be okay._

"It all started that night- the night I got bitten. Do you remember the way it was before that? You and me… we were- we were nothing. We weren't popular. We weren't good at lacrosse. We weren't important. We were no one."

Marlee could see a trail of a tear going down Stiles' cheek out of the corner of her eye. She reached over to give his hand a squeeze.

"Maybe I should just be no one again. No one at all."

"Scott, just listen to me, okay?" Stiles moved towards Scott. "You're not 'no one'. Okay? You're someone. Scott, you're my best friend. Okay? And I need you…. Scott, you're my brother."

Stiles looked down at the ground in between them.

"All right? So…" Stiles stepped into the puddle of gasoline. "So, if you're gonna do this…" He wrapped his hand around the flare alongside Scott's. "Then I think you're just gonna have to take me with you then."

Holding her breath, Marlee waited to see which direction this was going to go.

 _Please…_

Stiles gently pried Scott's fingers off of the flare and threw it a couple of feet outside of the puddle. Scott started to breathe heavily, starting to come back to his senses.

She saw it at the same time Lydia did. The two of them watched as the flare started to roll towards the boys.

"No!' Lydia shrieked as she ran forward to knock them out of the way.

Marlee dove just as the flare rolled into the fuel. She could feel the burst of heat as she shielded herself from the flames.

No one else could tell that she was no longer crying in despair… the tears streaming down her face were ones of utter relief.

* * *

The bus was quiet for a couple of hours, the only sound to be heard was Stiles' inconsistent snoring. Marlee hadn't been able to sleep since the seven of them had hunkered down. One by one, the others had nodded off. At least, she thought they had all fallen asleep. As she adjusted her position so she was leaning against the window with her legs stretched across the seat, Marlee noticed Scott. He had his temple resting on the window behind her, gazing out with his arms crossed.

"Hey," she whispered, "can't sleep?"

"No," he sighed, turning his head to look at her.

"Me neither."

Marlee scanned the bus to see if anyone else was awake, before confirming that they were all down for the count. She carefully got up and moved to sit next to Scott. The two of them positioned their bodies so they were facing each other more or less; both of them had the side of their heads leaning against the seat. Brown eyes met blue as the pair stayed silent for a minute.

"You know you scared the absolute shit out of me earlier." Marlee whispered to Scott.

"I scared myself." He replied.

Marlee subconsciously took one of his hands into her own, rubbing circles with her thumb on the back of it.

"What you said back there… do you really feel that way?"

"Sometimes. Not all of it though. There are times when I think that everything is my fault- that I could have prevented something from happening or I could have tried harder." Even in a whisper, the anguish was still audible.

"Scott," Marlee could feel her heart breaking just a little bit, "you can't control everything that happens in life. Sometimes things just happen and there's no reason to it. It sucks but that's how these things seem to work out."

She could tell he was searching her eyes for something she wasn't quite sure he would find.

"Marlee, what happened to your dad?" Scott asked after a moment.

She tensed, multiple red flags going up in her brain, telling her to pull back and chastising her for letting her guard down. Marlee managed to push away the feeling and simply just looked at the boy in front of her. Silhouetted against the moonlight, Scott was patiently waiting to see if she would answer his question or not. Earlier, everyone had waited outside of the bus while Stiles escorted his best friend back to their room so he could take a shower and change. He was no longer doused in gasoline but Marlee could still picture the Scott from just a few hours ago. Looking at him now, she knew she had to give him an answer.

"He was an alcoholic," she stopped rubbing circles on Scott's hand, causing him to take her hand in both of his', so he could play with her fingers, "and he was depressed. My parents loved each other but my dad's problems put a lot of stress on our lives. He eventually convinced himself that my mom didn't love him anymore and that she was going to leave. He thought she would take me with her. So, a month and a half before I was supposed to start high school, my mom and I were out having a girls' day. They had a big fight the day before; he told her exactly what he thought she was going to do. The two of us just wanted to take our minds off of it and enjoy ourselves. We went shopping and we saw some chick flick. Then we were driving back to the house…" Marlee had to stop to wipe a tear away from her face, "We saw our neighbors gathered in front of our long driveway. They were watching the firefighters trying to put it out- my house was on fire."

Scott gazed at her with a soft expression, waiting.

"They said he had called 911 and told them he was going to hurt himself. Before anyone could even get out to the house, it was already up in flames. The autopsy showed that he had alcohol in his system. He killed himself," quiet sobs were escaping her at this point, "my dad killed himself."

Scott moved forward and held Marlee while she tried to stop crying, not wanting to wake up the others. He brought her closer to him, moving her body so her back was against his chest and she was between his legs as they stretched across the seat. She leaned her head against his shoulder while he kept his arms wrapped around her.

"I'm so sorry, Marlee." he whispered.

"When I saw you standing there, covered in gasoline and holding that flare… that nearly killed me. I- I thought I was going to have to watch someone else I care about go up in flames."

"I didn't mean to do that to you," he turned his head to bury his face in her hair, "I didn't know."

"I know you didn't mean to. You didn't know about it because I didn't want you to. I usually don't let anyone close enough to me for them to know."

Neither of them said a word for a moment.

"Thank you for telling me."

"Just don't ever do something like that again. Promise?"

"I promise."

With that, the two eventually dozed off, Marlee leaning against Scott and his arms still holding her against him.

* * *

"I don't wanna know. I _really_ don't wanna know."

The sound of Coach Finstock's voice was the first thing that Marlee was aware of as she woke up. The second being the bright sunlight coming in through the bus windows, causing her to squint her eyes and whimper. Finally, there were a warm pair of arms wrapped around her, holding her against an equally warm backrest. She looked behind her to see she was still leaning back against Scott's chest as he squinted his eyes, adjusting to the light like Marlee's had just done.

"But in case you missed the announcement, the meet's cancelled so we're going home." Coach gestured for the other students to board the bus. "Pack it in. Pack it in!"

Scott noticed Marlee looking back at him and he gave her a content smile, fully awake enough to realize they had spent the entire night in this position. Her eyes widened comically and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, causing her to untangle herself from his hold and clamber into the seat behind Allison and Lydia. She missed the way Stiles grinned at his best friend and punched him playfully on the shoulder, along with the amused looks the two girls in front of her were sharing. Ethan sitting down next to Scott put a bit of a damper on the pleasant atmosphere as they all looked at him for the first time since he had fled.

"I don't know what happened last night but I'm pretty sure you saved my life."

"Actually, I saved your life," Stiles cut in, "but not that it matters that much. It's just- it's minor detail."

"So, I'm gonna give you something." Ethan turned his focus back on Scott. "We're pretty sure Derek's still alive."

That caught everyone's attention pretty quickly.

"But he killed one of ours. That means one of two things can happen. Either he joins our pack…"

"And kills his own." Scott added.

"Or Kali goes after him, and we kill him. That's the way it works."

Ethan stood up to go sit further back with Danny- of course, Stiles couldn't help but add something in there.

"You know, your little code of ethics there is sort of barbaric, just F.Y.I."

Stiles filled the seat that the alpha twin had just vacated. As Coach started to follow after him, Lydia asked to borrow the whistle for a second. The four of them watched curiously as Lydia carefully blew into it and showed them the purple powder in her hand.

"Wolfsbane." She elaborated.

"So, every time Coach blew the whistle on the bus- Scott, Isaac, Boyd…"

"And Ethan." The redhead tacked on.

"We all inhaled it."

"You were all poisoned by it." Allison corrected his statement.

"So, that's how the Darach got in their heads. That's how he did it." Stiles concluded.

Marlee gestured as if she were shooing it away. "Get that shit out of here!"

No one needed to tell Stiles twice. He scrambled to open the window next to Scott and tossed the whistle out, even as Finstock started to yell at him.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey! Stilinski!"

It was too late for Coach to do anything about it. The bus was already pulling away.

Blocking out everything else around her, Marlee stared out at the scorched-looking piece of blacktop. If she could, she would burn the Glen Capri to the ground. So many lives had been lost there and who knew how many more were to come? It filled her with a silent rage. But as uneasy as she felt when she thought about the damnable place they were leaving in the dust…

She couldn't help but thank whoever was responsible for getting her and her friends out of there alive.

 **Maybe you would like to review? Or not. It's your life.**


	8. Chapter 8

**The prodigal daughter has returned!**

 **I am so incredibly sorry that I left you guys hanging like I did. These last few weeks have been hectic. I'd like to thank each and every one of you who has favorited, followed and reviewed this story.**

 **I had a longer author's note planned out so I could answer a couple of things but this site is not cooperating with me at the moment so I'm trying to get this chapter out while Doc Manager is suddenly willing to save it.**

 **Inspiration for this chapter: "Dog Days Are Over" by Florence + The Machine, "Cry Wolf" by Bebe Rexha, "Love Bites (So Do I)" by Halestorm, "Cosmic Love" by Florence + The Machine, and "In Your Room" by Halestorm (a very crucial song to this story)**

 **Disclaimer: I own the Decker/Keating clan, Amy Shriner (portrayed by Janel Parrish), and the car known as Ron Burgundy. Everything else belongs to the rightful owners.**

* * *

The first thing that Marlee did when she woke up on Monday morning was text Scott.

'If you tell anyone that you saw me shed even a single tear, I'll deny everything and kick your wolfy ass.'

After she was done showering, she found a response waiting for her.

'Oops. Too late. It's already all over Facebook.' Followed by a little winking emoji.

 _Cheeky bastard_ , she thought with a smirk before it quickly melted into a frown.

'You're okay though, right?'

Just as she tugged a shirt over her head, her phone chirped out a text alert.

'I'm doing better than I was.'

'Let me know if that changes. I'll pull the fire alarm or something. Get you the hell outta there.'

'Let's try to avoid getting you in trouble.'

'Pfft, "Trouble" is my middle name.'

Throwing together an outfit, she made her way downstairs to find Allison sitting at the table with Virginia. Marlee found it impossible to not smile at the sight. She knew from Lydia's first visit to the house that Allison's mother was dead and from what she could tell, Victoria Argent had passed shortly before summer had started. Marlee's mom had always been a bit of a mother hen, constantly wanting to take care of others. She managed to find the time to volunteer and help with her daughter's classroom activity in elementary and middle school. Hopefully this kind of behavior was something that the other girl would embrace and benefit from.

"Hey! What are you doing here so early?" Marlee asked as she took a seat and pulled a box of cereal towards her.

"Well, I was going to pick up Lydia and ask her for some notes but when I got to her house- guess whose motorcycle was in her driveway."

"Ewww!" Marlee loudly exclaimed. "I think I may have just lost my appetite."

"Who are we 'ewww'ing?" Virginia asked with an amused look on her face.

"This total asshat named Aiden. He and Lydia kind of have a thing going on."

"I'm going to assume that you are correct about that "asshat" comment and second that 'Ewww!'" The matriarch took a sip of her coffee.

Allison laughed at the older woman's words.

"Oh, Marlee," Virginia continued, "I forgot to tell you that the mechanic called on Saturday while you were gone. Your car should be ready to go at the end of the week."

"Wonderful."

"Allison, since you have been so kind enough to give this troublemaker rides to and from school lately, I was wondering if you and your father would like to join us for dinner tomorrow night."

The brunette grinned, pleased with the invitation. "I'm sure he would love that."

"Allison, no! This is her way of spying on my life and making sure I am not partaking in the drugs!"

"Oh really? Have you ever 'partaken in the drugs'?" Her friend raised an eyebrow with a smirk.

"If you count snorting Smarties on the bus one time when I was nine- then yes, yes I have."

"Speaking of 'smarties', how are you doing in Physics?" Virginia asked her daughter.

"Ummm… it could be better." She refused to meet her mother's gaze.

"Honey, why don't you just ask someone to help you?"

"I don't know how to math, let alone how to apply it to science. I wouldn't even know who to ask!"

"Scott's actually good with science," Allison interjected, "and I'd bet that he would be happy to help you out."

"Perfect." Virginia gave a toothy grin before turning to her mortified child. "Ask him."

"But- I mean- ugh, fiiiine. I'll text him about it later."

After several more minutes, the two teenagers left for school. Despite the stressful weekend they had endured, the girls managed to have a joyful drive to school.

Scrolling through the songs on Allison's phone, Marlee's lips quirked up at a particular song that had caught her eye. Glancing at her curious friend, she tapped the screen and placed it back in the cup holder.

" _Happiness, hit her like a train on a track… coming towards her, stuck still no turning back…"_

Allison grinned as Florence Welch's enthralling voice filled the vehicle. The singing from inside the car started quietly, gradually increasing until both of the young women's voices were intermingled with the one blasting from the speakers.

" _Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father, run for your children, for your sisters and brothers, leave all your love and your longing behind, you can't carry it with you if you want to survive…"_

When the song came to an end, the energy coursing through the girls was almost palpable. They glanced over at each other and couldn't help but laugh.

"Another round?" Marlee asked.

"Let's do it!"

A few mini jam sessions later, Allison's Toyota pulled into Beacon Hills High School's parking lot.

"Hey, there's Boyd!" Marlee rolled down the passenger window before cupping her hands around her mouth. "BOYD!"

The beta looked over at her, rolling his eyes good-naturedly; a faint smile appeared on his face and he gave a short wave.

Marlee grinned at him as she remembered the day before.

 _The bus had pulled away from the Glen Capri about twenty minutes ago. After Stiles had thrown Coach's whistle out, their group had fallen silent. Glancing back at Boyd and Isaac, Marlee could tell that the former was getting lost in his thoughts. Considering what had happened mere hours ago, she knew that was the last thing he should be doing._

" _Boyd. Boooyd. Boyd!"_

 _The young man was too far gone to hear her until-_

" _VERNON!"_

 _Everyone on the bus turned to look at the blonde, who kept her eyes on her target._

" _What?" He asked._

" _Get your ass over here."_

 _With a heavy sigh, Boyd heaved himself out of the seat he had been sharing with Isaac and moved to drop onto the spot next to the eager girl._

" _What do you want, Marlee?"_

 _She simply stuck her hand out and said two words: "Thumb war."_

 _His expression flickered with shock, confusion, and amusement._

" _Are you serious right now?"_

" _I am one-hundred percent serious. Let's go- you and me, pal."_

 _Following a few rounds of Boyd beating Marlee, who spent the entire time cursing and laughing, she went up against Isaac. After ten matches- Marlee beat Isaac twice, though some cheating had been involved- the two boys competed. Their female companion acted as referee, keeping it fair and making sure they didn't use their wolf-powers to the point of destroying the bus._

 _Lydia had convinced Coach to drop the three girls off at the rest stop, where they would wait for Chris to arrive and put enough fuel in Allison's car to get to the next gas station. Marlee pushed thoughts of Scott almost dying on a dirty bathroom floor out of her head as the bus rolled up next to the area. She planned on sleeping in the backseat of the Toyota for the next several hours. As she followed Lydia and Allison down the aisle towards the front of the bus, Marlee reached over to ruffle Scott's hair._

" _Take care of yourself, McCall."_

Speaking of boys with brown eyes and crooked jawlines, a green dirt bike was currently being parked by the curb. The rider, sporting a familiar black denim jacket, dismounted agilely. Just from his posture, Marlee could tell that Scott was indeed doing better than he had been previously. He didn't seem to have that defeated look about him, like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. Taking off his helmet, Scott turned to scan the parking lot, a smile lighting up his face when his eyes landed on the Toyota. Marlee waved, feeling grateful that he wasn't looking at her in pity after finding out about her dad.

Stepping out of Allison's car, something inside of Marlee told her there was no turning back after this. She could never go back to the way her life was before, before she met the pack. To her surprise, she didn't feel even the slightest hint of regret.

* * *

The next night, as dinner was just finished being prepared, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!"

The excited individual darted towards the front door. Flinging it open, she gave Chris and Allison Argent a crazed grin.

"Welcome to our humble abode."

"Hello, Marlee." The older man smirked.

Virginia walked up behind her daughter, placing a hand on her shoulder. Chris blinked in shock, taken aback for a second. Marlee wasn't surprised in the slightest. Her mother had that effect on men. Parent-teacher conferences were always a nightmare for that reason… well, among others. At this point, Marlee didn't think much of it. It was just a natural thing.

"Hi, I'm Virginia Decker."

The man recovered a lot more quickly than most did when faced with the woman in front of him.

"Chris Argent," he extended a hand for her to shake, "it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise."

Father and daughter followed mother and… other daughter into the house, taking everything in.

"This is a lovely home that you have here."

"Why, thank you."

Before anyone else could say a word, a blur of gray came hurdling down the stairs. Edgar immediately curled himself around Allison's ankle, begging for attention from this newcomer.

"Marlee, did you shut his door all the way?"

"Maaaaaybe." Marlee picked the cat up and adjusted one of her hands under his front paws, in order to avoid having claws sink into her shirt. "At least I thought I did."

"Is that the cat that you took in from the vet clinic?" Allison smiled at the feline peering at her from his owner's arms.

"The one and only."

"He's got some nice-looking battle scars there." Chris observed.

"Yep. He's my little warrior."

"Why don't you get him situated and then meet us in the kitchen? Maybe give him a treat or something." Virginia suggested.

When Marlee went to pass her mom and go up the stairs, the older woman leaned over and whispered, "You didn't tell me that he was so good-looking."

 _Oh, Allison, why did you and your dad agree to this dinner?_

Stifling a laugh, Marlee whispered back, "In case you haven't noticed, everyone in this town looks like a model. There has to be something in the water."

After putting a pouting Edgar back in his room and taking a lint-brush to her clothes, she joined the others in the kitchen.

"She wasn't sure what you guys would like so she just stuck with burgers and tacos. Simple yet a bit of a variety."

"Well, it smells delicious."

Sitting down, it was Marlee and Allison across from each other with their parents facing one another. Dinner had been going off without a hitch until a touchy subject made its way into the conversation.

"Marlee tells me that the two of you moved to Beacon Hills in January." Virginia prompted.

"Yes, my job required us to move and my family has a bit of a history here, so it all worked out." Chris replied, adding condiments to his second burger.

"That was around the time that those animal attacks took place, wasn't it? Marlee insisted on staying away from this town because of those incidents."

While Virginia kept her eyes on Chris, Allison stared at the girl sitting in front of her with wide eyes. Marlee shrugged slightly and pulled a face as if to say 'Hey, I didn't know at the time!'

"Yes, well, those proved to be my sister, Kate's doing. I'm sure if you haven't heard about it by now, you would have heard eventually- especially with your job." The statement was said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Virginia choked on a piece of her food for a second before clearing her throat. She looked down at her plate, embarrassed and ashamed. "I'm so sorry. I-I didn't know."

"It's alright. I'm sure you wouldn't have said anything if you had."

Marlee knew that her mother would be beating herself up for days over that mistake. She also knew that if Virginia really had heard it from someone else, she would have shut that person down completely. While other women may have been hooked into the rumor mill and the grocery store gossip, Marlee's mother wasn't up for any of that; their own family and misfortunes had been talked about enough over the past couple of years to enforce that. The only person that Virginia would even think of talking to about such superficial things was Marlee.

"Dad did shoot the mountain lion that everyone thought was the problem." Allison piped up, hoping to steer the conversation away from Kate.

"You're a skilled hunter then?" The woman was thankful for the subject change.

"You could say that." Chris hid the tiniest of smirks behind his wine glass.

"That's impressive. I myself grew up in a family full of hunters. It's a pretty common activity in Wisconsin." Virginia smiled.

"My wife and I were actually living in Wisconsin when Allison was born."

Marlee, already aware of this piece of information, quietly started to hum "It's a Small World".

"Don't you dare start with that." Her mother warned, dreading the idea of hearing that song.

The humming just got louder and louder.

"Marlee Elaine Decker!"

The young blonde immediately stopped her noise-making at the use of her full name.

"Elaine?" Allison sniggered.

Marlee _Elaine_ pointed her fork in the girl's direction. "Shut it, Argent!"

"I didn't say anything." Chris joked.

Marlee turned her gaze towards the usually serious man and uttered, "I thought we were cool, dude."

"You've never been cool, sweetie." Virginia gave her daughter a smile and a wink.

"At least Allison still loves me!"

"Well…"

"I hate all of you."

* * *

The following morning, Marlee scowled as she found herself rechecking her appearance in the mirror multiple times.

 _It's just Scott. Chill the fuck out._

Just as Allison had predicted, Scott was more than happy to offer his tutoring services. (Though Marlee had been insistent about the session not being referred to as "tutoring". She confessed that it made her feel 'kinda stupid'.) The two had made a plan to study Physics at his house after school; in order for that to work, he was picking her up. Deciding that she looked decent enough, Marlee made her way downstairs. She immediately wanted to turn back around and flee up the stairs when she caught her mother's expression.

"So, Scott's picking you up, huh?" Virginia teased.

"Don't make a big deal out of it, okay? We're just studying together at his house later."

"Mmhm…" The woman's smirk was hidden behind the coffee mug she held to her lips.

"And what, exactly, is that supposed to mean?"

"Honey, even at my age, 'studying' didn't mean that you were just reading dusty, old textbooks. At least not with a boy as good-looking as that."

"Ewww! Mom! First of all, that's disgusting. I could have gone my whole life without knowing that little tidbit. Second, we're just friends and nothing beyond platonic feelings is going on. Finally, Scott's not that kind of guy. He's really chivalrous and all of that gentlemanly stuff."

"Yes, yes, I can tell. Plus, I didn't mean that you two- or anyone else- would be having sex necessarily. It could possibly be honest-to-God kissing."

"Yeah, that's not happening, like, ever."

"I think what you meant to say was 'It's not happening _yet_.'" The teasing tone was back.

"Why? Why are you like this?" Marlee planted her face on the table.

"Because I'm your mother and like seeing your cheeks turn that lovely shade of pink."

A few minutes passed without much interaction except for the occasional 'Don't!' from Marlee whenever Virginia started to send her an amused smile. The faint sound of an engine made both of their heads swing towards the front of the house. Marlee scrambled to rinse out her bowl before placing it in the dishwasher and dashed to snatch up her backpack. It still wasn't quick enough to beat her mother to the door.

"Hi, Scott!"

"Hi, Mrs. Decker!" Scott called out with a grin after he took off his helmet.

"You didn't tell me that he had a bike." Virginia glanced at her daughter.

"You never asked."

Just as she started down the stairs-

"Aaaand I forgot my Physics book. Shit." Marlee hesitated before she hollered at her patiently waiting friend, "Hey, you wanna come in for a minute?"

Scott wordlessly started towards the house and up the steps, giving the older Decker a smile as he passed.

"Actually, this might take more than a minute. I kind of don't know where it is at the moment." The teenage girl amended.

Her mother looked like the cat that ate the canary at the prospect of being left alone with her daughter's future boyfriend. (She was holding out hope that Marlee would stop being so stubborn and realize what was happening here.) Seeing such an expression on her parent's face, Marlee turned towards an oblivious Scott.

"You might as well come upstairs with me and wait. I'll try to be quick about it."

Upon entering her room a few seconds later, the beta let his eyes sweep across it, taking in his surroundings. Scott couldn't seem to find Marlee's textbook anywhere and he informed her of that. She let out a groan, beginning to move about the room in search of the goddamn thing. The other teen used this time to inspect everything more thoroughly, slowly starting to understand the blonde girl better. Just as Lydia had noticed the first time she had been in the house, Scott eventually spotted the lone picture frame sitting amongst Marlee's books and movies. Walking up to the bookshelf, he studied the photo, faintly listening to muttered curses in the background. After several moments of hearing such colorful language, he spoke.

"Is this your dad?"

Marlee glanced over briefly before continuing her search. "Yep, that's my old man."

"You two look like you were close." His voice was barely above a whisper.

"We were… most of the time." She replied, just as quiet as he had been.

After another minute of searching, Marlee let out a rather loud 'Aha!' as she reached behind her bedside table to pull out her Physics book.

"No idea how it ended up back there. Come on, we have a day full of knowledge ahead of us."

"Did you find it?" Virginia asked as the two teenagers descended the stairs.

"Sure did." Her daughter responded, holding up the offending article before slipping it in her bag.

Marlee followed Scott down the front porch steps after pecking her mother on the cheek. Hopefully she could avoid any further embarrassment-

"Make safe choices!" Virginia called after the pair.

"Mom!" She shouted in response.

Scott was laughing by the time they reached his bike.

"Shut up." She grumbled.

"I brought you my spare helmet." He held out said-item, looking pleased with himself.

"Great. For the first time, I won't have to worry about you potentially pulling a Humpty Dumpty on me."

"I'm a bit more durable than that." He chuckled.

"I would say we should test that theory but I really don't feel like dying today. We'll have plenty of other opportunities to put our lives in peril."

"That's not funny." Scott said as he swung his leg over the bike and put his helmet on.

"You have to admit it was kinda funny." She countered in a teasing tone as she copied his actions.

Marlee hesitantly wrapped her arms around his waist- despite the fact that she was becoming more comfortable around her new friends, she was still on edge when it came to Scott. The weird feeling that seemed to pass through her at times when she was with him was something that she wanted to stop. Nothing good could possibly come from it.

All of her thoughts and worries over her muddled emotions disappeared as the bike roared to life beneath them. Something about it just made her slightly ecstatic.

 _Or maybe it's because you're with Scott._ A small part of her mind seemed to whisper.

 _SHUT IT!_

As Scott backed out of the driveway and started down her street, Marlee's arms hold on his waist tightened. Even behind the tinted glass of the helmet shield, she could tell that it was going to be a beautiful day. She was so distracted by her surroundings, she let out a little shriek when Scott sped up for a second on an empty street before slowing down again. She momentarily let go with one of her arms to give him a light smack on the shoulder blade. Clearly she wasn't the only one in a good mood. The sun shone down on them as they reached Beacon Hills High School. Marlee tried to ignore the self-consciousness that she was experiencing as she felt all eyes on them.

"Do you have enough room in your locker to keep the helmet for the day?" Scott asked Marlee after he had parked his bike.

"It's not an all-consuming black hole yet, so I think we're good." She winked at him. Realizing what she had just done, Marlee quickly walked past Scott towards the school. He was too busy staring at a spot on the ground, smiling, to hear her berate herself.

While a majority of the students had brushed off the curiosity at the captain of the lacrosse team showing up to school with the brazen new girl, some of them had not.

The three girls had beat the guys to lunch, already having settled down at a lunch table in the courtyard. They were discussing going on a shopping trip soon, Lydia insisting that Marlee needed more clothes suited for California, when the staring became obvious. Past the redhead's shoulder, a pretty, dark-haired girl was glaring daggers at their table- more specifically, at Marlee.

"Who's the chicky-poo over there trying to set me on fire with her mind?"

Lydia turned to see who she was referring to and snorted.

"That's Amy Shriner. That bitch has been waiting to sink her talons into Scott since he and Allison broke up."

"Interesting." Marlee drawled. After a minute or two of this Amy person staring her down, Marlee narrowed her eyes directly at the girl.

"Can I help you? Put your eyes back in their sockets, dollface. I know I'm pretty but you're straddling the line between admiring and full-out creeping."

Allison burst out laughing before putting her hand over her mouth to stifle it. Lydia gave her blonde friend a look of approval. Amy simply scowled before turning her attention back to her own friends.

"What the hell is her problem?"

"She probably saw you with Scott this morning and jumped to conclusions." Lydia said in a suggestive tone.

"Don't turn this into something it's not, Martin. There is nothing going on between us. He was just giving me a ride because we're studying together after school. That doesn't mean that we're a thing and this Shriner chick needs to simmer down a bit."

"Oh God, what did Amy do now?" Stiles asked as he walked up to the lunch table, having caught that last part.

"Amy seems to think that Marlee here is a threat." Allison answered, silently thinking that Amy was right to be worried.

"When is she going to take a hint?" Stiles complained as he took a seat next to Lydia. "Every time we saw her this summer, she would walk up to Scott and start feeling up his arms. It's freaking insane! Before he got bit, Amy never gave the slightest indication that she knew he even existed. Now? Now she gives him bedroom eyes whenever she sees him."

"Why doesn't Scott just tell her to fuck off?" Marlee interjected.

"Scott is too nice of a guy to say it so bluntly. Plus, I think the whole thing kinda weirds him out. He doesn't know how to react."

Allison shushed them before stating in a low voice, "He just spotted us."

"Hey, guys," Scott approached them, completely unaware of the previous conversation, "what's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Not much."

"Shopping plans."

"I don't have a clue."

* * *

"You ready to go?" Scott asked a few hours later as he walked up to Marlee's locker.

"Yep." She slammed her door shut, backpack over one shoulder and helmet under her arm.

The two made their way through the school, out the doors, and down to the parking lot. Both of them were a bit preoccupied as they reached the bike- Marlee was giving a death glare to Allison and Lydia, who were watching from the Toyota with amused grins; Scott was struggling to keep his eyes off of Stiles, who was hopping in the Jeep while wiggling his eyebrows at his best friend.

"Alright, McCall, let's get this show on the road."

The pair took off, leaving their friends to gleefully text about the situation.

"Hey, Mom!" Scott called out as he and Marlee walked through his front door about ten minutes later. "I'm home!"

"Hi, honey, I was actually just about to leave for my shift. There's pizza money on the kitchen table and- oh."

A woman about Virginia's age had stopped rummaging through her purse as she spotted her son and his companion.

"This is my mom, Melissa." Scott introduced.

"Hi, I'm Marlee." She stuck her hand out to shake the woman's.

"Hi."

Melissa inconspicuously examined the girl in front of her. She didn't know how long it would have taken her to find out about Scott's new crush if Stiles hadn't been loudly teasing him about it the other day. This one seemed different than Allison, in more ways than one. The dark eyeliner that rimmed blue eyes was the first thing that caught the mother's attention. She quickly brushed off the mild shock and continued to look. Marlee's smile was a bit uncertain, as if she was unsure of Melissa. What was most interesting though was how Scott was acting. He didn't look like the stereotypical lovesick teenager. The glances he was shooting in the young woman's direction every few seconds were almost protective and reassuring. He looked as if he wanted to make sure Marlee wasn't uncomfortable and his hand noticeably twitched, like he wanted to grasp one of hers.

Melissa approved.

"Marlee and I are going to study."

"I'm hopeless at Physics and I heard Scott is a bit of a science guy." Marlee slipped in there, hoping that it would reassure the woman that studying is all that was going to happen.

"Yeah, he's pretty good." Melissa smiled, proud of her son's intelligence. Scott was quite smart but his grades had dropped in the past several months. Eventually, she came to find that it was due to all of the supernatural madness that seemed to frequently occur.

"Alright, there's pizza money on the kitchen table and I should be back by one. No wild parties and- well, I guess you already have a girl over." Melissa teased.

"Okay, bye, Mom. Love you."

 _Nice to see him being the mortified one for once._ Marlee smirked as she watched the boy rub the back of his neck in embarrassment while his mother snickered.

Following Scott up the stairs to his room, he led her down the hall to a door on the right. It seemed like a stereotypical teenage guy's room- not that Marlee had ever been in one- with his bed that had been hastily made and a shirt or two left on the floor. An object that was placed off to the side caught her eye.

"You play?" Marlee hovered by the stand, looking at the sleek electric guitar.

"Yeah, I took lessons when I was younger. Now I kind of just do my own thing." Scott answered as he kicked his shoes off.

"You'll have to play me something sometime." She sent a bit of a smile in his direction before taking one last look at the guitar.

He grinned, pleased about her request, and responded, "I can do that."

The two dropped their backpacks on the bed and sat down, getting comfortable. Neither Scott nor Marlee dared to openly express how abashed they were feeling at the fact that she was sitting on his bed.

"I don't think I've mentioned this before but I like your tattoo." Without even really thinking about it, Marlee reached out to run a finger along one of the black bands. Scott suppressed a shiver at the sensation. "What does it mean?"

"It's just something that I liked- I traced it with my fingers a lot but I'm not really sure why. Getting a tattoo itself means something though, right?"

"Yeah… I guess it does."

"Did you know that in Tahitian, the word 'tattoo' means 'to leave a mark'? The tattoo artist told me that, said it's like a rite of passage." Scott mentioned.

"Fascinating- I don't think the Tahitian definition is why you got it though." Marlee held eye contact with him as she asked, "How does a werewolf even get one of these?"

Scott chuckled at that. "Right after I got it, the tattoo healed. It was totally gone."

"Aw, that fucking sucks!"

"It did but Derek has a triskele on his back, so I knew it could be done. I asked him to help me and you know what did? He took a blowtorch to my back."

"Ahhhh! Don't tell me that! That sounds so painful." She cringed.

"Trust me, it was. Stiles had to hold me down while Derek was doing it and I passed out at some point." He shot Marlee an amused grin when he informed her, "But Stiles fainted at the tattoo shop when I was getting my first one done."

The young blonde cackled gleefully. "I will never let him live this down."

"As for what you said before- no, I didn't get the tattoo because of that meaning. In Samoan, the word means 'open wound'. I got it because when Allison and I broke up, it hurt… a lot. I wanted to call her all the time when she left for France but I didn't. I knew that she needed her space."

As Scott thought about what he was going to say next, Marlee filled the silence.

"The breakup kind of tore you up, huh?" She studied him as he responded.

"It did- at the beginning. For the first few weeks, I thought about Allison constantly- she was my first thought in the morning, my last thought at night. Then one day, I woke up and I didn't think about her; my first thought was whether or not I had finished one of my summer reading novels the night before. A couple of days later, I fell asleep thinking about new lacrosse plays I want to try out during the season. I started thinking about her less and finally, there came a day where I didn't think about her at all. Allison is always going to be important to me, no matter what. The friendship she and I have right now is going great and it's only going to get stronger."

Marlee smiled and shook her head at how loyal and supportive all her friends were of each other. "You guys are something else."

Eventually, they cracked open their books and got to work. Scott was patient with Marlee, even when she groaned in frustration and started snapping at him. He found that the girl wasn't as hopeless at Physics as she thought. While she struggled to understand some concepts and formulas, she caught onto others rather quickly. After about two hours of studying, the pair ordered a pizza before continuing their session. It wasn't until another two hours had passed that Marlee glanced at her phone again.

"Oh my God, I think my brain is going to overload. How can anyone handle this much crap in such a short amount of time?"

"It's only been a few hours." Scott smirked.

"It's still way too much information." She replied as she chucked the device in her hand at the comforter.

The two of them watched as her phone bounced off of the bed and heard it clatter on the floor.

"Ugggghhhh." She groaned before moving to grab it. However, while she was doing so, she couldn't help but catch a glimpse under his bed.

"Jesus! How much shit do you have down here?" She remarked.

"There's not that much." Scott defended himself.

Marlee scoffed, still scanning the items she could see. "It probably looks like a lot because that rolled-up poster is huge."

"It's for the band, Lost in Kostko. It was getting kinda sun-faded hanging up on my wall."

"Fair enough." Her eyes lingered on the other hidden object. "You also have a shoebox down here. If there's a new pair of shoes in there that you got a while ago, I'm going to be highly disappointed in you."

When she brought her head back up to look at Scott though, she could tell it definitely wasn't a pair of sneakers. His eyes had darkened in recognition and he looked a bit resentful.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be a nosy bitch or anything."

He shook his head slightly. "It's not you. It's…"

He examined Marlee for a minute, thinking things over. Just a few days before, she had told him the truth about her past and her own father. That took a lot of guts and Scott knew that it probably wasn't easy for her whatsoever. No one knew what was in that shoebox, not even Stiles. His mother might have had an idea since he would receive the contents and never mention them again. If Marlee could trust him enough to reveal her secret …

Scott leaned over to drag the box out and set it on top of his bed. He made eye contact with her for a brief moment before slowly lifting the lid. A dozen envelopes or so sat inside, all of them unopened. Hesitantly, Marlee looked at him as she moved her hand to hover over the box and when he made no motion to stop her, she picked up one of the envelopes on top. It was addressed to 'Scott McCall', as were all of the others as far as she could tell. The other similarity was that they were all from the same person: 'Rafael McCall.' A memory from the trip to Walmart replayed in her mind.

" _My parents divorced when I was younger and my dad left town a while ago."_

"Your father?" She questioned as she turned her focus back on him.

Scott gave her a solemn nod.

"He never visits or calls. The only time he ever acknowledges me is when he sends me a card for my birthday or for Christmas. I used to read them but around the time I turned ten, I started to get angry with him. It sucked, seeing all of the other kids in my class getting to do things with their dads. Mine left us and didn't even try to keep in contact. He hasn't even talked to me in over a decade. I don't want a card every once in a while that proves that he knows I exist. That doesn't make up for the fact that he hasn't been here for me. I guess… I guess I'm kinda lucky though. I've had Deaton to fill my dad's shoes- Stiles' dad has been there for me too. My mom has been more than enough for me. I don't need the occasional attention from this guy when I have her here, supporting me every step of the way."

As Marlee listened to Scott speak, she couldn't help but understand where he was coming from. Even she felt that Rafael McCall's behavior was complete bullshit.

"Hey," she reached over and jostled Scott's knee a bit, "screw him, okay? If he doesn't want to talk to you, that's his loss then. He's missing out on getting to know what an amazing person you are and honestly, I almost feel bad for him. What kind of idiot wouldn't want to get to know you?"

Marlee threw the envelope she had still been holding back into the box.

"Personally, I probably would do the same thing if I was in your situation. The only reason I would even consider opening them is for the money. That's what I do whenever I get a card from my dad's brothers. Except I also get kind of pissed off because they think throwing twenty bucks my way every once in a while makes up for years of them being shitheads."

"Huh… maybe I'll open them on a rainy day." Scott put the lid on the shoebox and slid it back under his bed.

"Buy yourself something pretty." She winked at him, hoping to lighten the mood a bit.

He cracked a smile at her, the pressure in his chest starting to lessen and make way for a warm, comforting feeling. Scott was glad that he had shared his secret with Marlee; it felt nice to talk to someone with fresh eyes about it- someone who didn't know Rafael and have an opinion on him already. She understood Scott's feelings towards the cards and his father- she understood _him_.

At that moment, his phone alerted him to a text message.

"Hey, my mom just asked me to bring her dinner. Would you mind if we…?"

"A girl's gotta eat. Let's go." Marlee jumped up.

"Are you sure you just don't want to work on Physics anymore?"

"Shut up."

* * *

Melissa looked over at Scott as he walked in with her dinner, Marlee only a couple of steps behind him.

"Oh, thank God." She moved towards them and took her food out of her son's hands. "I'm starving."

The pair of teenagers watched in mild amusement as she turned around sheepishly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Thank you for bringing me dinner."

Marlee found the hug that the mother and son shared to be quite touching. This was obviously something that was routine for the two of them. They really did take care of each other, having the other's support and love.

"Is everything okay?" Scott questioned as he pulled away from Melissa.

The older woman surveyed the hallway full of wheelchairs, nurses, and people groaning in pain.

"Except for half of the accident victims in a ten car pile-up being rerouted here from downtown and the E.R. attending not answering any of his pages- yeah, I'm okay."

"What does not answering pages mean?" The beta could tell that this was a stressful situation but his mom seemed to be cool and collected, for the most part.

"It means that nobody can find him, so now we have to wait for the on-call to get here."

Neither of them noticed a woman holding her torso walking up to them.

"Miss." She sounded as if she were about to start crying.

"Yes?" Scott's mom immediately went into caring nurse-mode.

"Excuse me, can I kind of please have something for the pain?"

"Okay, I'm sorry. I know. But, actually, giving you something could complicate things, so we really just need to wait for the doctors." Melissa guided the victim to sit in a chair. "Okay?"

The response she got was a nod and a shaky sound of affirmation.

"Okay. How much longer on Dr. Hilyard?"

"Ten minutes." Was the receptionist's response.

Scott moved to sit down and his female companion positioned herself next to his chair, watching as he turned towards the patient.

"Uh, you know, I think that I read online that sometimes human contact can help with pain."

The injured lady, whose face displayed the agony that she was feeling, frantically nodded- whether that was meant to inform Scott that she understood him or that she had heard the same tidbit of information, Marlee didn't know.

The teen wolf glanced around, checking to see if anyone was watching except for the girl behind him, before resting his hand on the woman's clenched fist.

Emotions of admiration and awe flooded Marlee's senses as she focused in on the dark veins appearing on Scott's forearm. He was taking some of the pain away from a total stranger. This guy sitting in front of her was nothing short of amazing. It seemed like every time she thought he couldn't be any more selfless and kind-hearted, he unknowingly proved her wrong. The blonde couldn't help but softly smile at the scene in front of her.

 _There's not a lot of people like that left in the world._

The woman let out a gasp and slowly looked over at Scott in a vague sense of wonder. His face was full of innocence and concern as he briefly examined her for any tell-tale signs of pain. Her lips twitched a bit, as if she wanted to smile at him.

The moment was broken by a shout from the end of the hall.

"Someone… someone help me!"

The three individuals looked over to see Ethan supporting a hyperventilating Danny. The former started to collapse and the young alpha struggled to keep him standing.

"Ohhh, I need help!"

The two werewolves made eye contact, Scott's eyes conveying his confusion while Ethan's were full of panic. It was at that moment, Melissa came into view and she quickly noticed the alarmed teenagers. She motioned for them to bring Danny to a chair near her. Scott and Ethan supported him as they made their way towards her and after shooting the dazed woman from before a smile, Marlee followed. The boys tried to carefully lower Danny into the chair, causing him to let out a cry of pain.

"Okay, gentle, gentle, gentle!" Melissa directed them.

She started to examine the situation as Scott grabbed Ethan.

"What did you do to him?!" He snarled.

"Nothing!" Ethan snapped back. "He said he was having chest pains and trouble breathing but it- it just kept getting worse."

Marlee could hear the concern in his voice, the worry for his sort-of boyfriend quite clear. She snuck past the guys and stood on the twin's other side, ready to block any curious onlookers' view.

"This is not good." Melissa stated as she held her hands up to Danny's throat. "How much longer on Dr. Hilyard?" She called to the receptionist. The only reply she got was a gesture of a hand paired with an exasperated and confused expression.

"His larynx has shifted to the side. I think it's a tension pneumothorax." The nurse explained. Before she was even finished with her explanation, Danny pitched forward and started to vomit. He fell to his hands and knees on the floor at the sheer force of the action, his body trying to unblock his airway.

As gross as it should have been, the young female couldn't help but take note of the contents. The green leaves and white berries scattered on the floor looked a bit too familiar. Years of family Christmas parties at her grandparents' house, her aunts and uncles flirting with each other in the doorway, caused her to recognize the plant almost instantly- despite the unpleasant display. Apparently Ethan recognized it as well.

"Mistletoe." He quietly identified, causing Scott to turn in disbelief.

"Okay, we can't wait any longer. Can I get some help over here?" Scott's mother called the second part down the hall. A male nurse promptly brought a gurney over and the two boys lifted Danny onto it. Melissa and the older man swiftly rolled the gasping teen down the hall as he tried to inhale some air, to no avail. The group entered a room full of other people laid up in beds, obvious victims of the pile-up.

"Can you three please go back to the waiting room?"

 _Yeah, I'ma have to pass. Seeing people in pain is not my cup of tea._

The male nurse left to attend to other matters, leaving Melissa as the sole member of the hospital staff in the room.

"Where are the nurses and the doctors? Where is everyone?" Ethan questioned.

"It's a full house tonight. They're tending to other patients."

"Okay, well, Mom- how can we help?" Scott wasn't about to sit back and watch his friend die.

"Honey, you can't. His lung is collapsed. His heart is being pushed up against his chest cavity, so…"

Danny threw his head back against the pillow as he continued struggling to breathe.

"He's gonna die, isn't he?"

With a sigh, Melissa glanced at the door before answering, "No. No, he's not."

She pointed towards the drawer before directing Ethan to look at the tray, "Scott, you grab the tape. You grab those scissors and cut his shirt open."

As the boys followed the woman's directions- well, Scott did, Ethan ignored the scissors and simply tore the shirt open- Marlee grabbed her friend's hand that his boyfriend had been forced to release.

"Okay." Melissa said softly as Danny looked up at her, eyes begging for help. Feeling his airway being closed completely, he gave Marlee's hand a feeble squeeze.

"Mom, he's not breathing." Scott panicked.

"I know, I know. Okay."

The teenagers watched her raise an arm to position the long needle before stabbing Danny in the chest with it. He flinched as the metal pierced his skin. Melissa carefully brought the plunger back, removing the fluid from the young man's lung. After removing the needle from his chest, the four standing around the bed watched for any signs of improvements. A moment later, Danny's eyes opened and he said to the nurse, voice shaking, "Thank you."

Melissa let out a relieved sigh as she grinned back at him. "No problem."

The other three couldn't help but look at her in amazement.

"What?" She asked, not understanding the expressions on their faces.

"That was awesome." Scott answered, completely awestruck.

His mother nodded before modestly answering, "It was no problem, you know? I mean, it wasn't a big deal." Melissa beamed as she took in the fact that her son was impressed by something that was just an everyday thing for her.

After they were reassured that Danny was fine and would make a full recovery, Scott and Marlee left the room and made their way towards the front of the hospital. It seemed like all of the commotion from before had calmed down a bit.

"You never told me that your mom was such a badass." A smile lit up her face as she nudged him playfully with her elbow.

"I knew she helped people, of course, but I didn't know she did things like that." Scott was incredibly proud to have Melissa McCall as a mother.

"I guess that's where you get it from. No surprise there." Marlee crossed her arms over her chest as they walked towards the exit.

"Get what?" He inquired, curiously.

"That whole 'selfless and awesome, helping people' thing."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you. What you did back there for that woman earlier- that was admirable."

"Oh, that was nothing."

"See, that right there," Marlee turned her head to look at Scott, "you're being all humble and don't even realize that what you did was insanely impressive. You didn't know her. You didn't have to take away her pain- but you did."

"It wasn't that great."

"Just shut up and take the compliment, McCall."

The two grinned at each other for a brief moment before they pushed the front doors to the hospital open. Ethan went through one of the doors seconds later, just as the pair had reached Scott's bike. An irritated expression crossed the beta's face as Ethan moved to stand on the other side of the bike with his hands in the air, showing that he meant no harm. The alpha twin wasn't sure if the other two were aware of the way Scott moved to position himself to stand in front of Marlee.

"I know you're not gonna believe me but I didn't do anything."

"All I know is that the minute you got here, you went right for Danny and your brother went for Lydia."

"We're not gonna hurt him." Ethan responded.

"Why should I believe you?" Scott questioned.

"Because we knew one of them was gonna be important to you… and now we know it's Lydia."

Before he could reply, Scott noticed a vehicle driving into the lot, swerving. Moving around the bike, he and Ethan took a few steps towards it, watching in disbelief as it veered and hit the rear of a parked car. They ran towards the accident and after a moment of hesitation, glancing back at the hospital, Marlee took off after them.

Scott was the first to reach the SUV and pulled the driver's door open. Inspecting the car, nothing struck him as peculiar until he noticed something just between the seat and the console.

"What is it?" Ethan asked.

The blonde girl reached the two just as Scott held up a moth.

" _A Darach will use nature to do its bidding."_ Delaney's voice echoed in her head.

 _Well, fuck._

* * *

"Two missing…"

"Ha-hang on, hang on. They were both in the car?" Sheriff Stilinski's mind was spinning.

Unsurprisingly, Stiles- who Scott had called- got there faster than the police, who had been called by someone inside of the hospital. He was given a rundown of the situation before his dad and a few of Beacon Hills' finest arrived.

"No, Dad, they're trying to tell you that it was two separate kidnappings, okay? Two doctors, both gone."

"So, whose car is this?"

"Dr. Hilyard, the on-call doctor. The E.R. attending is the one that never made it in." Melissa explained.

"Let me just focus on getting your story first, all right?" Stilinski said to Melissa, to which she agreed.

"Boys and…" The sheriff was at a loss for the name of the young woman standing a few feet behind Scott and Stiles.

"Marlee." She offered.

After Scott had called Stiles to tell him to haul ass over to the hospital, Marlee had volunteered to call her mother to get a ride home. Scott had been a bit upset that it had come down to that but agreed that it was probably for the best. However, Virginia had informed her daughter that there had been a breakthrough on the case she was currently working on and that she had gone back to her office. She was willing to take a break to pick her daughter up and drop her off at home but Marlee had refused. If Virginia took a break, that meant she would just have to work later. The result was that the younger Decker would find another ride home and the older one would get her business done and be able to go home sooner.

"Boys and Marlee," Stilinski amended, "give us a second."

The three teens nodded before moving off to the side.

"These are definitely sacrifices, right?" Scott asked his best friend.

"Yeah, it's one Deaton mentioned- Healers."

"What about Danny? He threw up mistletoe. That's not a coincidence and if he hadn't been with Ethan, he probably would've died. Danny's not a healer."

Stiles was about to respond but the sight of his dad, holding up his radio to listen into it, caught his attention.

"Can you hear that?" Stiles pointed over Scott's shoulder.

The noticeably quiet girl glanced at the two adults by the damaged SUV as Scott turned to check. A moment later, he faced Stiles with a slightly surprised look.

"They found a body."

After the police had left and the crowd that had gathered started to disperse, Scott and Stiles promised to text each other later. Marlee, helmet secured on her head, mounted the bike and the pair headed back to his house to pick up her backpack. The two of them didn't speak until they pulled up in front of the Decker house, all of the lights off.

"You know," Marlee was taking off her helmet, "when I moved to California, the only trouble I expected to find was maybe a sunburn. Instead, there's werewolves and alphas and Darachs, oh my!"

Scott chuckled softly, gazing at her in amusement and something else that she couldn't quite identify. "Sorry about that."

"Well, it certainly makes life interesting." She shrugged.

It was quiet once again, neither of them knowing what to say.

"You never did tell Stiles why you were so calm when you found out about all of this." Scott broke the silence.

"I didn't, did I?" Marlee looked at the ground, thoughtfully, before answering. "I don't know. With the way my life has been just constant weird and fucked-up shit over the past couple of years, why not throw supernatural creatures on top? Plus, if you guys can be thrown head-first into all of this- I think I can manage to follow suit."

"Well, you're doing a pretty good job so far."

At that moment, without much thought to it, Scott tucked a lock of Marlee's hair behind her ear. She jumped back as if he had shocked her. A nervous, forced smile appeared on her face.

"Okay then!" She spoke loudly and quickly, wanting to get the hell out of the driveway and into the house, away from that moment. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Don't stay up too late talking to your other half. I'm sure even Stiles needs sleep. Alright, so, bye!"

With that, she darted off towards the front door, leaving a conflicted admirer in her wake.

* * *

 **Fun Fact: 'Lost in Kostko' is the name of Tyler Posey's band.**

 **I would really appreciate it if you would take the time to review this chapter. Thank you!**


	9. Chapter 9

**This is the part where I apologize for taking so long- I'm completely and incredibly sorry! I do have a few valid reasons and some invalid reasons.**

 **Thank you to everyone that has followed, favorited, and reviewed this story! The love I have for all of you is immense.**

 **In all honesty, I struggled to find motivation while writing this because of plot changes that needed to be made- both of my own fault and of the writes of _Teen Wolf_ 's fault. (You'll notice that I have changed the excursion to visit Danny in the hospital to after school- it makes more sense than to have Stiles leave school in the middle of the day then leave the hospital when it's dark out.) I don't mean to sound needy but if there was ever a time for you guys to review, now would be the time...**

 **There is currently a poll up on my profile, asking you to vote whether you think Marlee should remain a human or gain a supernatural essence. If it turns out to be the second one, I have a story arc planned that isn't like anything we have seen so far on the show. Be sure to check that out.**

 **The Tumblr blog, fyeahteenwolfocs, is currently having an OC Positivity Month so I'd recommend you go and take a look to see some of the wonderful original characters in this fandom.**

 **You can find me on Polyvore as 'earthdiva', Tumblr as 'missunderstoodxoxo', or you can check out the Marlee Decker tag on Tumblr.**

 **Inspiration for this chapter: "Vacation" by Simple Plan, the new _Ghostbusters_ theme (meaning that I had the trailer playing on repeat in the background- don't ask me why), and "I'll Be Good" by Jaymes Young.**

 **Disclaimer: I own the Decker/Keating clan, Amy Shriner (who does not make an appearance this chapter), and the car known as Ron Burgundy. Everything else belongs to the rightful owners.**

* * *

While Scott and Stiles had managed to get some sleep, the same could not be said about Marlee Decker. In fact, she had spent hours tossing and turning until she finally decided that enough was enough. Firing up her laptop at around 3:30 in the morning, Marlee spent the next couple of hours researching druids, scrolling through Tumblr, and blasting Simple Plan through her headphones. Eventually, the rising sun filtered in through a crack in between her bedroom curtains. When Virginia opened her daughter's door, she found the young woman sporting quite the raccoon look from lack of sleep and smudged makeup that she hadn't bothered to take off.

"Well, this is something that every mother loves to see."

When it became apparent that the teenager hadn't heard her parent over the sounds of Simple Plan's _New York Minute_ song, "Vacation", the older woman decided to take matters into her own hands. Carefully grabbing one of the pillows that had fallen off of the bed sometime during the night, Virginia hit Marlee over the head with it.

"Sanctuary!" Marlee shrieked as she covered her head with her arms in mock-defense.

Her mother chuckled before a thoughtful expression found its way to her face. "How are you holding up, buttercup?"

Marlee lowered her arms slowly before replying, "Good. I mean, I'm not the one who was taken and murdered- so, I really can't complain."

A shudder passed through the matriarch's body as she pushed the image of a cold, lifeless Marlee away.

"I didn't realize that I was moving us out to a real-life Santa Carla, babe. I'm sorry."

The '80s movie lover's laughter bordered on hysterical; oh, if only Virginia knew the truth.

"Excellent _Lost Boys_ reference, Mom. I don't think that there are any leather-clad vampires in Beacon Hills though."

 _At least I hope there's not. Werewolves and dark druids are already problematic enough._

"On a lighter note…" Virginia's tone was teasing as a sly look overtook her features. "How was studying with Scott?"

"Oh my God." Marlee groaned, covering her face with her hands.

"Alright, alright. You don't have to tell me anything. I'll leave you to get ready for school." Virginia relented. Yet as she walked towards the bedroom door, she couldn't help but hum a wedding march, only to have a pillow sent flying at her back.

Laughter was abundant in the Decker household that morning.

* * *

Unfortunately, it seemed as if the universe was conspiring against Marlee for the rest of the morning. Allison had stayed home in order to dig through her father's things and find possible information, so Marlee caught a ride to school from her mother. (Thank God that Ron Burgundy, her beloved Oldsmobile, was supposedly going to be fixed by the next day.) After that, her day grew to be difficult. It seemed as if there was never a free moment between classes to talk to the boys about what had happened the night before.

When she entered the Physics room for class, seconds before the bell, she silently groaned. Stiles had taken up the seat next to Scott and Marlee was forced to share a table with a random blond guy behind her two friends. She leaned forward to speak, ready to finally be informed of whatever they might have learned.

"So, Hardy Boys, what do we know?"

Before either of them could answer her, the sound of a textbook being placed on the front counter with a 'thud' caught Marlee's attention. When she turned her focus to the person standing there, feelings of dread and annoyance filled her body.

"You've gotta be shittin' me."

"Good morning." Ms. Blake greeted the class with that infamous half-smile.

"You have no power here!" A girl at the back of the room shouted, pointing at the brunette woman.

"Excellent _Lord of the Rings_ reference, Marlee."

Inside, Jennifer was seething at the adolescent's attitude. She thought she was doing an excellent job of playing the innocent English teacher, as well as the "damsel in distress"; yet it seemed as if this irksome teenager could see past the carefully-constructed façade. She only hoped that others would just perceive it as a rowdy student giving her a hard time.

"As you all know, Mr. Harris is still missing… I-I mean, sick. Anyway, uh, I'm filling in, uh, while we all hope and pray for a more qualified substitute to take my place. Okay, so let's get started, shall we?"

Marlee's eyes had practically rolled into the back of her head while Ms. Blake spoke. She didn't understand why the woman had even bothered to try and amend her statement. Everyone knew that pictures of Adrian Harris' face should have been plastered all over town, along with 'Have you seen this man?' It was a wonder that the police hadn't found his body yet. Marlee cringed at the thought of now having her least favorite teacher teach two of the classes in her school day.

It was only a moment later when Scott's phone started vibrating loudly, which he was quick to answer. Marlee watched as he turned in his seat and hunched over, trying to be discreet about the call. The hand holding the device to his ear blocked her view of Scott's face but when whoever had been the other end hung up on him, she could clearly see the expression on his face. He was panicking, which was never a good sign, especially when you live in a town ripe of supernatural activity. There were a few whispered words exchanged between the dynamic duo before the two abruptly threw their belongings into their bags. As they stood, Stiles took the time to look back at Marlee and nod his head in the direction of the door. Ms. Blake made a vain attempt to object as Scott and Stiles practically sprinted out of the classroom. Marlee swept her books into her backpack and made to hastily follow them, only to have her actions halted by the pale woman who positioned herself halfway between the board and the door.

"Marlee, please go back to your seat." Ms. Blake instructed.

"Yeah, funny story, I actually have to…"

"What you need to do is sit down and focus on the lesson. I'm sure your friends will need any notes that you take today."

Rolling her eyes, the teenager took another step towards the exit, only to be effectively stopped by the woman's following words.

"If you walk out of this classroom before the bell rings, I'll have no choice but to give you a lunch detention."

Marlee held back a cringe at her teacher's words. Considering the last detention that had occurred in her friend group had almost resulted in Isaac murdering the crap out of Allison, it was safe to say that said-punishment was not an option.

"You're Satan in a skirt."

Jennifer merely gave her a sickly sweet smile as she stalked back to her spot.

Marlee silently fumed as she glared at the brunette, who continued her attempt to teach the class everything about physics that she could think of. If it wasn't for those homicidal creeps, Ethan and Aiden, there wouldn't have been any hesitation. Marlee would have told Ms. Blake to shove it where the sun don't shine before walking out of the classroom to help Scott and Stiles. She may not have had true friends in a while but those who had been, once upon a time, knew Marlee Decker would do just about anything to help those she cared about. A vibration against her thigh had the irritated blonde inconspicuously checking her phone. The text from Scott was displayed on the screen.

'Where are you? We had to leave without you.'

'She threatened to give me lunch detention if I left. Where did you go?'

'Deaton called. He's going to be taken.'

 _Fuuuuuuck!_

* * *

Physics dragged on as Marlee impatiently waited for the goddamn bell to ring already. She had jotted down the occasional note but had spent most of the time tapping her pencil against her desk and her feet on the ground. Her tablemate had sent her an annoyed look or two, only to be silently flipped off. She figured she would maybe apologize for her rude behavior some other day. There were only a few minutes left of class when the sound of the fire alarm pierced the air, sending Marlee's heart racing. She knew the odds of there being an actual fire were in her favor but the idea still put her a little on edge every time. Despite the fact that they were technically supposed to leave their things behind and exit the building immediately, she shoved everything she had on the table into her backpack. Hiking the bag over her shoulder, she proceeded to follow her classmates out of the room and down the hallway- only to have Stiles Stilinski hook his arm around hers as he walked in the opposite direction.

"Where are we going?" Marlee questioned as she turned herself around, falling into step beside him.

"Deaton's missing and we need to find Lydia so she can do her thing and locate him." Stiles explained as he marched towards the locker rooms. Whenever anyone needed to find someone in this school- at least in their case- there was a likely chance that they were in Coach's office or the boys' locker room.

"Our own supernatural GPS." The smirk on her face was evident.

"Exactly." Stiles agreed as they entered a room filled with the smell of sweaty socks and body odor, courtesy of Greenberg. Voices could be heard from the direction of Finstock's office.

"… if I catch you with him again, I'm not going to pull the fire alarm. I'm going to pull your tongue out of your head."

 _What is with the Hales and their threats? At least she didn't say she'd use her teeth… wait, that'd be bisexual as fuck._

Of course, the redhead wasn't going to just sit there and be threatened. She was done with being a victim.

"Sweetheart, my last boyfriend was a homicidal lizard, so… I think I can handle a werewolf."

As Lydia went to exit the room, the fire alarm still blaring, Cora reached out and grabbed the other girl's wrist.

"Let go." Lydia said firmly. When the brown-eyed she-wolf refused to yield, she started again. "I said…"

"Let go." Stiles' voice cut in, causing the two girls to look off to the side. The boy wore a serious expression on his face while Marlee stood next to him, looking on in interest. "She said 'let go.'"

The werewolf reluctantly did as she was told.

"Cora, how did you even get in the school?" The blonde girl asked in curiosity.

"This building has pretty lax security." Stiles answered instead.

"Well, that's reassuring." Sarcasm dripped from every word.

Stiles' words proved to be correct as Marlee noticed that a school official didn't come around checking to make sure everyone had vacated to the lawn. It was pretty weird but maybe it was just because this school had more students than her old one. While her companion updated Lydia and Cora on the situation, the fire alarm had ceased and people were starting to to trickle back into the halls. Seeing as it was time for lunch, a number of classrooms would be empty. This is what led Stiles to herd them into the Physics room. They positioned themselves at a table farther away from the main door before he fished a box out of his backpack.

"Nuh uh! No!" Marlee jumped back at the sight of the object in Stiles' hands. "Get that shit away from me!"

"You're scared of a Ouija board?" Stiles' voice was filled with amusement and disbelief.

"That's some bad juju right there! Don't fuck with spirits!" Marlee jabbed her finger in the direction of the board.

"A Ouija board?" Lydia asked, skeptically, as Stiles placed the box on the table and set up the offending object.

"Also called a spirit board- and it's worth a shot."

"A shot in the dark."

"Could you just try it, please, okay? Let's not forget who this is for- Scott's boss, the guy who has saved our collective asses on more than one occasion."

"Oh, wait, should we all do this?" Cora cut in.

"Yeah, yeah." Stiles answered. "You guys ready?"

"Yeah."

"Yes."

The three looked to a silent and quite reluctant Marlee. After a few seconds of staring down the others, she gave a heavy sigh before stepping forward to put her fingers on the planchette.

"Let's get this over with."

It was still for a moment until Stiles, who was gazing intently at the board, asked, "Where's Dr. Deaton?"

The planchette remained completely motionless, causing Marlee and the two on either side of her to glance at the redhead.

"What?" She asked in mild confusion.

"Aren't you gonna answer it?" Stiles prompted.

"Oh, I don't know the answer. I thought we were asking some sort of spirit."

"Well, do you know any spirits?" Marlee couldn't tell if Cora's question was legitimate or rhetorical.

"Is she for real?" Lydia asked Stiles while pointing towards the youngest Hale.

"I mean, we do know some dead people but I'm not sure if any of them could give us an answer."

"Marlee, that's not exactly helpful!" The hyperactive teen snapped.

"Staring at Lydia and hoping to find a magical answer isn't helping anything either."

"Alright, new plan." Stiles rummaged around in his pockets for a moment before finding what he was looking for. "Okay, these are Deaton's keys for the clinic. Close your eyes, and I'm gonna put 'em in your hand, and then we're just gonna try and see if you can feel out for his location. It's called psychometry."

"I'm not a psychic." Lydia pointed out.

"You're something! Okay?" Stiles exclaimed. "Just, Lydia, put out your hand."

Closing her eyes, the potential 'something' held out her hand so the boy could gingerly place the keys in her palm. When the metal touched her skin, she let out a 'Hmmm.'

"What?"

"They're cold."

Stiles' eye twitched as he stared at his crush in exasperation.

"Lydia, concentrate, please? Trying to save lives here, for the love of God…" He muttered the last part.

Looking mildly annoyed, the redhead shut her eyes once more and tried to focus on the keys in her hand. The other three gazed at her for a moment, watching for any signs of change. When the muscles in Lydia's face tightened ever so slightly, Stiles spoke.

"Yeah, what is it? What do you see?"

Lydia opened her eyes before shaking her head and replying, "Nothing."

Marlee's shoulders sagged at her friend's answer.

"Got any other ideas?" Cora asked, half-heartedly.

"Yeah, yeah, I do."

Stiles ran to the front counter to grab a pen and paper.

"Automatic writing." He explained as he walked back to their group and held out the pencil.

"Automatic writing?" Lydia asked, a bit doubtful.

The boy nodded, completely serious. Though she looked a bit incredulous, the patient girl let out an audible exhale as she took the writing utensil from his hand. She put the lead to paper and got to work.

While she may have been looking at it upside down, Marlee could still identify the familiar tree that Lydia had been frequently sketching as of late.

"Lydia, what are you doing? What- what the hell is that?"

"A tree."

"A tr- Lydia, you're supposed to be writing words, like in sentences, something like a location, something that would tell us where he is!"

"Maybe you should have said that."

 _I live for that lowkey sass._ Marlee smiled slightly at her friend's response.

"Isn't she supposed to be some kind of genius?" Cora questioned.

"Genius? Yes. Psychic? No." Said-genius defended herself. "Honestly, I don't know why you're even bothering with me anyway. I mean, especially since it's obvious you should be talking to Danny."

"Wait, what?" Stiles looked up. "Why Danny?"

"Because…" The four teenagers turned their heads towards the classroom door near the front. Scott stood in the doorway, holding his shoulder. "Last night, he was a target. But he wasn't a sacrifice."

"So, maybe he was on to something and the Darach wanted to neutralize the threat and take him out." Marlee added on, seeing where this was going.

"Alright, let's go talk to Danny." Stiles pushed away from the table and walked towards his best friend, leaving the girls to follow.

"But isn't Danny still in the hospital?" Cora inquired.

"Yeah, that's where we're going right after school." Stiles answered.

"I'll meet you there." Scott amended as he finished reading the message on his phone.

"Why?"

Scott held up his phone to show a text from Allison.

'I think I found something.'

"Ally A. came through." Marlee grinned.

* * *

'How's it going?'

Isaac replied with a picture of Derek's flooded loft and the caption 'I'd hate to be them.'

Marlee noticed the electric cables in the water and sent back: 'The Alphas are al-fucked.'

'Never say that again.'

'I'm going to say that to you twice a day now. Tell Boyd I say "Hi!"'

The young man sent her a photo of Boyd holding a hand up, indicating he was waving.

"Is that Boyd?" Cora leaned over to look at the image on the girl's cell phone.

"Yep. It looks like they're all set for the Alphas. Now all they have to do is wait." Marlee said as she showed Cora the picture of the loft.

A rare smile spread across the werewolf's face.

"This might actually work."

The two were camped out in the backseat of the Jeep in Beacon Memorial's parking lot, waiting for Stiles to return from Danny's room. Lydia was currently curled up in the passenger seat, researching Celtic lore on the internet.

"Let's hope it does. I'm looking forward to the end of the twins' bullshit."

Both Marlee and Cora ignored the look that the redhead shot them in the rearview mirror. So what if Lydia was sleeping with Aiden? That didn't mean that anyone else in the vehicle liked him.

"Hey, I was just wondering- where were you these past few years?"

"I traveled around South America quite a bit. Eventually I settled down in Uruguay."

"That's so cool! One of my Spanish teachers was from Uruguay, along with a couple of families in town."

"Really? Do you know a lot of Spanish?"

Marlee laughed at that.

"One of my preschool teachers was Hispanic and she taught us some basic words. My parents thought that learning to speak a language that a good portion of America speaks was a great idea. I had a tutor in kindergarten before I took part in this after-school club where we learned Spanish. I got a year off when I reached sixth grade but then the real classes started in seventh grade. My dad would always ask me to teach him how to say things."

Cora surprisingly seemed to open up after that. The two of them began to speak back and forth in the language with Lydia, resident genius, occasionally cutting in- she would never admit it but she was just a tad bit jealous of the bond the Hale girl seemed to have with both Marlee and Stiles. The conversation came to an end when the driver's door swung open and Stiles climbed in, papers in hand.

"So, apparently Danny did a project for Harris' class on telluric currents."

"What's up with all of the electricity shit today?"

* * *

"Okay, so, wh-what does this kid's homework have to do with finding Deaton?"

The group in the Jeep had met up with Scott at the vet clinic, which oddly wasn't sectioned off as a crime scene. The young man looked as if he had aged, due to stress, in the last few hours. Marlee refrained from reaching over to smooth out the worry lines on her friend's face. All of them were set up around the examination table, various papers spread out in front of them.

"Because it's not just homework, okay? It's a project on geomagnetic fields. They flow through the earth. They can even be affected by lunar phases, all right? Now, look at this. This is a note from Harris on Danny's proposal."

"'I strongly advise you choose another subject. The ideas here, while innovative and thoughtful, border on pseudo-science. Not suitable for class.'"

"Harris wasn't just a sacrifice. He knew something."

"Now, check this out. Allison's dad wasn't the only one with a map, all right? Danny had one too." Stiles unfolded the map and laid it flat on the table as he explained. Meanwhile, Scott arranged the blown-up images of Chris' markings to form an identical layout. "Danny marked all the telluric currents, okay? Now, the weird thing about Beacon Hills is that it actually is a beacon. You wouldn't believe how much energy flowing through this earth is around this town."

"And here I've been, wondering why they named it 'Beacon Hills'." Marlee said, her voice just above a whisper.

"Stiles, look, they match. All right, there's three places, right? Where they're kidnapped and then the place where their body was found." Scott circled the places on the map.

"Look, that's right on a telluric current." Lydia pointed.

"So, maybe where he was sacrificed is somewhere in between."

"Let me see that." Stiles took the pen from Scott and put an 'x' through one of the circles. "You said there's six more bodies to be found. Deaton's one of them. Gotta be somewhere in between, right?"

"Stop." Cora placed her hand on Stiles' and moved them until the pen hovered above 'Beacon Hills First National'. "He's in the vault. He's in the same vault."

Marlee hadn't been in on the supernatural secret until shortly after the last trip to the abandoned bank had occurred- but she had been informed of what had happened that night.

The group hastily picked up everything that they had out on the examination table. Marlee had started to follow Scott and Stiles when she noticed that Lydia had stopped to look at Cora, who was staring at her phone.

"Uh, guys, hold on." The redhead called out.

"Lydia, we don't have time."

"It's Boyd. The plan didn't work. They cut the power." Cora looked up in worry.

All eyes were on Scott, who looked stunned and a bit panicked.

"It's just like he said." It didn't take him long to make a decision. "Go. I can save Deaton myself."

"What? Scott, what about us?"

"Cora can't get there fast enough without you. Go. We can save both of them."

Without another word, Scott took off out of the room.

"Alright, let's go."

Marlee clamored into the back of Roscoe with Cora, anxious to get moving. No one spoke throughout the drive, only exchanging glances of worry and resolve. Stiles floored it, breaking a number of traffic laws as they sped towards the Hale loft. Haphazardly parking outside of the building, the group ran for it, making their way to the basement.

"Okay, what do we do?" Stiles was at a loss as he stared at the backup generator.

"We pull them. Pull all of them." Cora answered.

The girls wasted no time, beginning to flip switches as fast as they could.

A moment later, the lights above them flickered on and the generator hummed to life.

The four teenagers booked it up the stairs, racing to find out if the plan had been successful whatsoever.

Halfway up, they broke their pace as three individuals passed them on the stairs. Marlee assumed the barefoot woman in the lead was Kali, the bitch that she had heard so much about. The woman simply smirked, red eyes flashing as she passed. A low snarl escaped from Marlee's lips as the twins followed their pack member.

 _She looked way too pleased with herself._

The motley crew's feet thundered on the steps as they quickened their movements again.

When Marlee turned the corner at the entrance of the loft, she wasn't prepared for what she saw.

She hardly noticed Isaac hunkered down in the doorway, holding Jennifer Blake.

The scene in front of her was something that Marlee knew she would picture on the nights she couldn't sleep. The moonlight seemed to cast an eerie, blue glow on everything inside of the room. Derek was down on one knee, arms extended, staring uncomprehendingly at Boyd's motionless body. It felt as if a boulder had settled in the pit of Marlee's stomach. The world suddenly felt so much heavier and darker.

He was dead. Vernon Boyd was dead.

Cora surged forward, running towards the fallen beta before kneeling down next to him. She cradled his head and began to sob; the sound of it nearly broke Marlee's heart. Stiles moved to place a comforting hand on Derek's shoulder, even though he knew that it wouldn't be enough for the mourning alpha.

Lydia entered the room and stood next to Marlee, taking in the sight.

Memories began to play in the blonde's mind, regardless of the mere handful. Memories of a bus ride, of forcing the beta to interact with her at school, and of the brief resemblance of a smile that would appear on his face at her antics. Later, when her mother would ask if Marlee had known Boyd, she would answer with 'He was my friend.' While she didn't know if Boyd considered the her as his friend, the girl considered him as one of hers.

Marlee knew she had to be strong for the others grieving in the room. They had just lost their friend, Erica, not that long ago and this- this was the salt in an open wound. Not Peter's words poking fun at another potential death, not the narrow escapes that a number of werewolves had made over the past weekend- this was the moment that could make or break their opposition against the Alpha pack and the Darach.

Quickly wiping away the trails of tears, Marlee composed herself before stepping forward. The 'swish' sounds that her legs made as she walked across the flooded room mingled with Cora's crying. The blonde came to a halt next to the teen watching over the werewolf siblings. Out of everyone in the room, besides the Hales, Stiles had known about the supernatural the longest; well, as far as Marlee knew…. Yet this couldn't have been easy for him in the slightest. She was determined to make this as painless as possible for everyone involved- for her friends at least. When it came to the Alphas, it was safe to say that she wasn't in favor of showing them any mercy.

"We have to get him outside." Her voice was quieter than intended and cracked in places, causing her to silently curse herself.

"What?" Stiles asked as neither Hale gave any indication that they had heard Marlee's words.

"We have to get him outside." Marlee repeated, louder and more steady this time. "As awful as this sounds, we can't have him in here. We're going to have to call your dad so he can inform all of the proper authorities, like the coroner, and his parents…"

"Why do we need to move him?" Isaac asked from where he still sat, holding on to a sniffling Ms. Blake.

"There's no way we're going to be able to let them in here and not end up in jail. The loft is flooded, we have electrical cables in the water, and- and those wounds are something that will be hard to explain away."

"What do you suggest we tell them?"

All eyes focused on Cora, who was still looking down at Boyd's blank expression.

Marlee thought for a moment before speaking once again.

"He was planning on meeting us here and just outside the building, he was attacked. We heard the commotion and went to investigate. We witnessed multiple people scattering, some with their knives still out. We say that we thought the guys wanted any money that he had on him. We're going with four men. Boyd…" Marlee noticed Derek flinch at the name. "Boyd could have easily taken on one or two."

"I'd say it's the best option we have right now." Lydia's voice wavered a bit as she spoke. She was still in shock over the events that had taken place in the past few hours. She was trying her best to push the fact that Aiden had been involved in this tragedy to the back of her mind. The alpha twin was something that she could worry about later.

"So, do we all agree?"

Isaac, Lydia, and Ms. Blake all gave a silent nod of the head.

Cora, attempting to pull herself together, let out a shaky breath before answering softly. "Okay."

Marlee turned to the boy next to her, who was watching, waiting for the next step. Despite everything that had occurred, he was impressed over the way she was taking charge.

"Stiles, call Scott and tell him that we need him and the Argents over here soon. It's time to reevaluate our game plan. Once we get Boyd downstairs, then we'll call your dad."

As the unusually solemn young man moved away to do as she said, Marlee's attention fell to Derek, who was still down on the floor. She wished that she didn't have to put him through any more of this but it needed to be done.

"Derek?"

Marlee kneeled in front of the silent alpha, who was still gazing at the ground, and gently placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Derek, I need you to look at me."

As green slowly met blue, Marlee was struck by the broken look in the man's eyes. The unspoken meaning hidden behind them was one that she knew all too well. They were the same words that would frequently loop through her head like a broken record: _my fault, my fault, my fault, my fault, my fault, my fault, my fault…_

"After we… after we get Boyd downstairs, we're going to have to call the police. You're going to have to talk with them. I know that is the very last thing you want to do right now but you have to. It's your loft and if you take off, given all of the trouble you went through with the law last year- they're going to make assumptions. Can you keep it together for another hour or two?"

After a moment of silence, she spoke to him again.

"Can you do that for me? Can you do that for us?"

Finally, Derek opened his mouth and replied, barely audible, "Yes."

"Alright." Marlee gave the hurting werewolf a squeeze on the shoulders before she stood and faced the others. "We got work to do."

* * *

 **So... review?**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'd like to thank everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed this story! You guys are so amazing and way too good to me!**

 **This chapter was pure torture to write since about half of this episode was flashbacks and half of those were about Derek. I kept jumping from just skipping this episode, to keeping it super short, and to how it ended up now.**

 **I'd like to address:**

 **1\. I just went back and changed Marlee's age in the first chapter from 17 to 16. I feel like that's more appropriate for the timeline. So, again, Marlee is 16 now.**

 **2\. I sincerely hope I didn't turn anyone off from this story by making Marlee able to speak Spanish. (It occurred to me about a week ago when I saw a gif from _Orange Is the New Black_ with the quote "You see? Fucking white girl, speaks Spanish.") The education that Marlee spoke about is actually the same education I had (except I also took the class in junior year of high school as well) but with my ADHD, it was harder for me to remember quite a bit of the language. I thought it would be cool to have Marlee actually remember all of that Spanish and it will also help the storyline a bit when it comes to meeting Rafael McCall and the Calaveras.**

 **3\. The poll that you can vote on whether or not Marlee remains human or gains a supernatural essence is still up on my profile. It will be up for a couple of more chapters, as the supernatural arc wouldn't kick off until the 3A finale.**

 **4\. The Tumblr blog, fyeahteenwolfocs, is having its last week of OC Positivity Month. Be sure to check out all of the amazing OCs that have been featured this month.**

 **5\. I post a one-shot for a potential "Teen Wolf" OC, Della Oswald, a while ago. If you haven't already, go read it!**

 **As always, you can look me up on Polyvore ('earthdiva'), find me on Tumblr ('missunderstoodxoxo'), or look through the Marlee Decker tag on Tumblr.**

 **Inspiration for this chapter: "Arsonist's Lullabye" by Hozier (that's actually how the title is spelled) and "The Scientist" by Coldplay**

 **Disclaimer: I own the Decker/Keating clan, Amy Shriner, and the car known as Ron Burgundy. Everything else belongs to the rightful owners.**

* * *

" _There's something uniquely exhilarating about puzzling together the truth at the hands of an unreliable narrator." – Maria Semple_

"They were there for two days, waiting, hiding. That's what we're taught to do when the hunters find us… hide and heal."

Cora Hale stood in front of the large window in her brother's loft, staring out at the downpour as she spoke. Rainwater had left streaks on the glass, removing some of the black paint that had been used to create the Alpha pack's symbol. It was the day after the fight with Kali and the twins… the day after Boyd's death. As soon as the last police car had drove away the night before, completely out of sight, Derek took off.

"Okay, so is two days standard, then, or are we thinking Derek's on, like, some extended getaway?" Stiles impatiently demanded.

It had been decided that none of them were going to school that day. It was a Friday, so it wasn't like they were missing out on much anyway. While Allison and Scott- who were currently interrogating Allison's psychotic grandfather, Gerard- had parents that knew about the supernatural, everyone else had been given a day off solely because of the loss of Boyd. Isaac was at the McCalls' house, feeling absolutely miserable over the death of yet another pack member. (Marlee had sent him several funny YouTube videos that morning, hoping that he would at least smile sometime.) Lydia had locked herself up in her room, not only feeling a bit guilty about Aiden's involvement in the tragedy but also because she felt responsible for not having sensed it sooner. This left Stiles and Marlee with the task of talking to Cora. He had picked her up in his Jeep earlier and drove her to the mechanics' shop. Despite everything that was going on, she couldn't help but have a brief feeling of elation at the sight of her beloved Ron Burgundy. After thanking the man who had worked on her car and leaving him a decent tip, Marlee had followed Stiles over to the Hale loft. Cora was currently telling them about the time young Derek and Peter had been forced to hide in a root cellar to escape the Argents. It seems that it wasn't unusual for Derek to be gone for days.

"Why do you care?" Cora responded, turning to face the other two teenagers.

"Why do I care? Let's see… because over the last few weeks, my best friend's tried to kill himself. His boss nearly got ritually sacrificed. A girl I've known since I was three _was_ ritually sacrificed. Boyd was killed by alphas. I- you want me to keep going? 'Cause I can, all right? For, like, an hour."

Marlee rolled her eyes at her friend's rant, though she did strongly agree with the fact that shit had been constantly hitting the fan lately and it needed to come to an end.

"You think that Derek can do anything about that?" Cora walked towards the center of the room.

"Well, since he's the one everyone seems to be after, it's more like he should do something about it, yeah."

Marlee's lips twitched into a frown. While a part of her shared the same sentiment as Stiles, she also didn't think that it was fair to put all of the responsibility on Derek. He was just one person- a person who seemed to have a lot of inner turmoil.

"I don't know." Cora mused. "There's something different about him now. He wasn't like this when I knew him."

"What was he like?" Stiles prompted.

Three heads turned at the sound of someone walking down the spiral staircase. In all of his arrogant, V-neck glory, Peter Hale descended upon them.

"A lot like Scott, actually." He said in realization. "A lot like most teenagers… unbearably romantic, profoundly narcissistic-"

"You're still narcissistic as fuck." Marlee interrupted Peter's speech.

"… tolerable really only to other teenagers."

"So, what happened? What changed him?" Stiles asked.

"Well, the same thing that changes a lot of young men… a girl."

 _Well, that was just a bit cryptic, not to mention a little anti-climactic._

"You're telling me some girl broke his little heart? That's why Derek is the way he is?"

At that, Marlee slugged Stiles in the arm for making it sound so trivial. There had to be more to the story than just 'some girl breaking his little heart'. After all, this seemed to be the catalyst of Derek's brooding and self-loathing. Marlee couldn't get the image of his haunted eyes from the night before out of her mind.

"Do you remember Derek before he was an alpha- had blue eyes?" Peter asked his niece before turning to Stiles and Marlee. "Do you know why some wolves have blue eyes?"

"I just always thought it was, like, a genetic thing."

"If you want to know what changed Derek, you need to know what changed the color of his eyes."

"'Changed' them?" Marlee questioned, picking up on that key word.

"His eyes weren't always blue." Peter revealed.

Peter moved towards the sofa to sit down and, to his surprise, Marlee followed. She curled up on the other end, guessing that they were in for an interesting history lesson.

* * *

"Back when he was a sophomore in high school, Derek met a girl. Her name was Paige and they were about as opposite as two people could be. While Derek was a popular basketball player, Paige was more… introverted and played the cello. At first, she wanted nothing to do with him but he was persistent in his efforts to win her over. The stereotypical teenage romance, if you will."

"Except it wasn't that stereotypical because Derek had fangs and fur underneath that pretty boy exterior." Marlee commented.

"Okay, so if Derek was a sophomore back then, how old was he? How old were you?" At Peter's unchanging expression, Stiles asked with a hint of humorous disgust, "How old are you now?"

"Not as young as we could have been, but not as old as you might think."

The blonde girl sitting a few feet away from him muttered under her breath, "You're such a fucking smartass."

Peter smirked in her direction. "Got something to say, sweetheart?"

"Ew, don't call me that! You're old enough to be my father."

"I can assure you, Marlee, that I am not that old."

"Okay, that was frustratingly vague. How old are you?" Stiles jerked his thumb in Cora's direction.

"I'm seventeen."

"See, that's an answer. That's how we answer people."

"Well, seventeen how you'd measure in years."

"All right, I'm just gonna drop it." Stiles seemed a bit exasperated with the present Hales and their indefinite werewolf ages. "What happened to Derek and the cello girl?"

"What do you think happened? They're teenagers. One minute, it's, 'I hate you, don't talk to me.' The next, it's frantic groping in any dark corner they could manage to find themselves alone in for five minutes. Their favorite dark corner was an abandoned distillery outside of Beacon Hills."

"All right, hold up. How do you know all this? You just said that they were alone." Stiles interrupted.

"Back then, I wasn't just Derek's uncle. I was his best friend. His closest confidante. That's how I know."

Something about Peter's explanation left Marlee a little uneasy. For one, even if he was popular and more open back then, Derek hardly seemed like the type that would gossip about where he and his girlfriend liked to make out. Also, Derek and Peter sure didn't seem to get along now. Yeah, okay, there was definitely some bad blood there but to go from being family and best friends to intense dislike- possibly hatred- and unable to trust one another…

"Unfortunately, one of their rendezvouses was cut short by a meeting of the packs- Kali's, Ennis', and Deucalion's. One of the betas that belonged to Ennis had killed a hunter and the Argents sought revenge. When Derek and I had been out in the woods, days before, that beta was shot in the throat with an arrow. We didn't know about it until after it had happened, but the Argents had brought the wounded beta to the distillery. They hung him up, using a chain, and cut him in half."

Marlee reached up and touched her throat, wincing. Her mind flashbacked to the day that her friends had explained the supernatural to her. They had mentioned that Gerard was rather fond of using a sword- a sword which she now knew was the one that had been in the principal's office on the first day of school. Scott had also added that Derek and himself had witnessed Gerard slicing an omega in half.

 _Known weapons in Beacon Hills: fangs, claws, guns, traditional bow and arrow, crossbows, swords, all sorts of venoms and powders- oh, and who could forget baseball bats? Of course. Yep, time to invest in some body armor._

"They looked to my sister, Talia, for advice. She was something of a leader in the supernatural world. She had a few… talents that were valued among others."

"You mean she could turn into a wolf." Cora spoke bluntly, feeling the slightest twinge of grief while referring to her mother.

"Thank you, Cora." Peter seemed mildly annoyed with the fact that his attempt to keep the story mysterious was failing.

"Wait," Stiles appeared a bit baffled, "when you say 'wolf'- do you mean, like, an actual wolf or the hulked out monstrosity that Peter here used to turn into?"

"I mean an actual wolf."

" _Moving on._ Now, where were we? Oh, right- Ennis used one of his claws to make a spiral in the side of the distillery."

"Like the spiral you put in that deer last year." Stiles remarked, remembering the photo that Scott had shown him, which he also found in his father's case files later.

"Our mark for vendetta."

"Man, you guys really take that revenge thing to, like, a whole new level, don't you?"

"It's not just revenge. Losing a member of your pack isn't like losing family. It's like you lose a limb." Cora elaborated.

"They wouldn't even let him see the body."

Marlee detected a hint of sympathy in the older man's tone.

"I don't get it. What does this have to do with Derek?" The female wolf was becoming increasingly frustrated.

Peter turned to his niece before answering, "Everything. It's never just a single moment. It's a confluence of events. Personally, I looked at Ennis' circumstances, I saw profound loss. Derek saw something different. He saw opportunity."

Marlee got up and moved to sit next to Stiles at the table as he asked the magic question, "Opportunity to do what?"

"To always be with her."

 _Oh, for the love of God. What is this?_ _ **Twilight**_ _?_

"The thing was, he had this constant fear. He was obsessing over it, thinking about it all night, all day. Always on his mind."

"And that fear was…?" Stiles gestured for him to elaborate.

"That she would find out what he was or that she would die. Ultimately, his fear was that she would leave him. Which is why he used the packs congregating to his advantage."

Marlee narrowed her eyes at the man, more than a little suspicious now. While she hadn't known Derek as long as everyone else in the room had, Peter's words didn't seem quite right to her. Even if he was worried that Paige would find out about his secret, it seemed unlikely that sophomore Derek would come up with turning his girlfriend into a werewolf as a solution.

"I kept telling him not to do it. Every day the more he thought about it, the more convinced he became. You know teenagers. I bet he even blames me. He's probably convinced himself the whole thing was my idea."

"Why didn't he just ask Talia about it?" Marlee offered.

"The last thing she needed at that time was her teenage son asking her to turn his girlfriend into one of us. She and her emissary were already under enough pressure as it was."

"You mean 'Deaton'." Stiles clarified. "I know he's got all of that druid stuff going on but why do werewolves even need emissaries in the first place?"

"They keep us connected to humanity. But they're a secret even in the pack. Sometimes only the Alpha knows who the emissary is. Derek and I had no idea about Deaton." Cora explained.

"Or his sister, Morrell."

 _Hold on a second-_

"She's an emissary too?" Stiles questioned.

"For the Alpha pack."

"What the actual fuck?" Marlee blurted out.

"Our guidance counselor?" Stiles exclaimed, incredulous. "Wh- Why the hell don't you people tell me any of this stuff, huh? I shared some really intimate details with her."

"And did she give you good advice?" Cora inquired.

Stiles opened his mouth to answer and hesitated for a moment, "Actually, yeah."

"That's what they do." The three teens turned to look at Peter. "That's what Deaton used to do for Talia."

Marlee spoke up. "Okay, so, Derek saw an opportunity. Who did you two go to about all of this?"

"Like I said, he saw what was happening with Ennis and his pack, giving Derek the inspiration he needed."

"Ennis?" Cora asked, softly, before continuing in a sharper tone. "Why would you choose him?"

"Why not?" Peter asked, rhetorically. "Ennis needed a new member for his pack. Paige was young and strong. Doing a favor for Derek meant Ennis would be in good with Talia. Back then, everybody wanted to be in good with her."

Okay, now Marlee was almost certain that Peter was being less than honest with them. If Ennis had needed a new member for his pack, he wouldn't have just bitten Paige and left her in Beacon Hills. He would have taken her with him when his pack left. That was something that Derek wouldn't have let happen, especially if the whole point was for them to be together.

"We went to Ennis and Derek asked him to give Paige the bite. He agreed to go through with the plan, determined to collect a new beta for his pack."

Stiles felt sympathy for the man he had been criticizing earlier. "He doesn't remember it was Ennis, does he?"

"If he does, he keeps it to himself."

"So then what happened? Did he turn her?"

"Almost." Peter looked off to the side as he spoke. "He came at Ennis. A fifteen year-old boy… against a giant. There was no reason for him to fight. She'd already been bitten."

"So, did she turn?" Cora questioned, curious about the fate of her older brother's first love.

"She should have. Most of the time, the bite takes." Peter paused for a second before repeating, "Most of the time."

"When you offered it to me, you said, 'If it doesn't kill you…'" Stiles slowly began to realize what they were about to hear.

"If."

There was a sinking feeling in Marlee's gut as Peter continued to tell them what had happened to young Paige.

"Ennis could already see what was occurring, what her fate would be. He left the two of them alone because they were useless to him at that point. Derek went to Paige and asked me what was happening to her. He knew the answer, though. It didn't matter that she was young and strong. Some people just aren't made for this. She fought. She struggled desperately. Trying to survive."

Despite her suspicions about Peter's story, Marlee felt a tear slip down her face. Derek hadn't been that much older than the blonde had been when she lost her father. It didn't matter that it wasn't the same kind of love. She knew how it felt to lose someone and blame yourself for it- to blame yourself for everything that happens to you and everyone around you after an event like that.

 _My fault, my fault, my fault, my fault, my fault, my fault, my fault…_

"Eventually, she begged for death, unable to take the pain any longer. Derek embraced Paige and broke her neck and spine, putting her out of her misery. I remember taking her body from his arms, to the woods, to a place where I knew that it would be found… another in a long line of Beacon Hills animal attacks."

"And what about Derek?" Cora's voice was even but her eyes were glossy with unshed tears.

"Taking an innocent life takes… something from you as well. A bit of your soul… darkening it. Dimming the once brilliant, golden yellow to a cold, steel blue." Peter looked up and his eyes turned that infamous shade. "Like mine."

* * *

After another half hour of discussing what to do about the Alpha pack and their promise to Derek, Peter left for his own apartment. The others stayed to process everything they had just been told. Cora and Stiles sat next to each other while Marlee lied on the floor in front of them. She stared up at the ceiling, hair fanned out around her head, as she thought about how heavy Derek's heart must be after dealing with the tragedies he had faced in less than a decade.

 _No wonder he tries to be so broody and distant. He doesn't want to let anyone in because he thinks they'll either hurt him or he'll hurt them..._

Just as she began to muse about how she related to that, Cora broke the silence. Marlee sat up to look at the pair in front of her.

"What?" Cora asked Stiles as she peered at his thoughtful expression. When he looked up at her in confusion, she gestured towards her own face. "What's this- what's this look on your face?"

The boy blinked in surprise. "What look?"

The werewolf rolled her eyes as she snapped, "The kind of look that makes me wanna punch you."

"Oh my God. You are so Derek's sister. I forgot."

"What is with the look?" Cora repeated.

"I just don't believe him." Stiles answered.

"Neither do I." The skeptical girl in front of them piped up.

At Cora's questioning look, Stiles turned his body towards her. "All right, in Ms. Blake's class, we're reading _Heart of Darkness_. And it's in first person, right? Narrated by Marlow. The thing is he's- he's an unreliable narrator. You know the details of it have changed, you know, just because of his perspective."

"Some of the things he was saying don't add up." The two looked over at Marlee as she spoke from her spot on the floor. "He also said that he was Derek's closest confidante. That seems like complete bullshit if you consider the fact that Derek doesn't seem to like Peter… at all. If they were really that close, you would think that he would be at least a little fond of his uncle still- even if Peter is a sociopathic asshole."

"Well, then we heard the story from Peter's perspective."

"Right, and I don't think we got the whole story."

"So, what? Are you just gonna ask Derek about the girl he fell in love with and then killed?"

"If I have to… yeah."

The depressing atmosphere of the loft was finally starting to get to Marlee. Making a decision, she stood up before brushing herself off.

"Guys, I think I'm gonna head out. My mom's probably already started wondering where I've been all day."

"All right."

Stiles rose from his seat and wrapped his arms around the blonde girl who he had come to consider as a friend. They stood there for a moment, offering a bit of comfort after the past twenty four hours they had just experienced. When Stiles let go of her, Marlee moved to stand in front of Cora.

"Hey." She said, softly.

The brunette looked up at her in curiosity.

"It's going to get better. I'm not saying that everything will be all sunshine and daisies but I am saying that we've just gotta hope that it will get better."

The Hale girl gave a weak smile at the human's attempt to lift her spirits a bit.

After leaving the loft, Marlee trudged over to Ron Burgundy and sat herself down in the driver's seat. Both hands on the steering wheel, she gazed out her windshield at the drizzle, lost in thought. It didn't take long for her to make up her mind and start the car. Pulling out of the parking lot, she drove to the end of the road. If she turned to the left, it would lead her home, to the sanctuary that was her room, her mom, and Edgar.

She turned right.

* * *

" _Nobody said it was easy, no one ever said it would be this hard… oh, take me back to the start…"_

Marlee thought it was appropriate that this song was playing as she drove up to the abandoned distillery. She went back to the start, just as she had guessed that Derek had as well.

Grabbing the bag of groceries from her passenger seat, she threw her hood up before getting out of the car. It was night time now and thankfully, the rain had stopped and the moon lit up the sky. Marlee reached the main doors that were protected by a part of the roof that jutted out. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and called out, "Derek?"

Opening her eyes again, she waited but received no response. Marlee wasn't fooled though. One of the many things she had learned over the last couple of years was that going back to a place filled with memories was ideal for reflection.

"I won't come in," She said, knowing that Derek could hear her from inside the distillery, "I don't mean to bother you. I'm just dropping off some food. I didn't know if you had any." She set the plastic bag on the ground. "I'll leave it here and drive away. You don't have to take it if you don't want to."

At first, Derek had been irritated when he heard Marlee's car pull up. He wanted to be alone, to grieve in peace. Now, he was relieved to know she was going to give him his space.

"I'm worried about you, Derek. I know you feel like everything is all your fault but it's not. There are so many fucked up moments that happen in life and it feels like the world is trying its best to break you. You didn't mean for any of it to happen though."

The alpha was full of self-loathing and grief but to hear someone tell him that none of it was his doing- Derek was grateful. Maybe that was all he had ever really needed. Maybe he had just needed to hear those words when he was in the darkest place in his mind. The only time he had ever really gotten that type of comfort was when his mother had found him in the root cellar when he was grieving over the loss of Paige. Every other time- the fire that killed his family, Laura's death, Erica's death- no one had been there to tell him that it wasn't his fault.

"I'm going to go now. I understand that sometimes it really is better to cope on your own. I just wanted you to know that though." Marlee paused for a second. "Don't push us away, Derek. When you come back to town, don't shut us out. We care about you and we will stand by you. We won't go down without a fight."

Turning away from the doors, Marlee prepared herself before rushing to her car, the moon gazing down upon her as water and mud sloshed with every step she took.

" _Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up." –_ _ **The Dark Knight**_ _trilogy_

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 **Reviews are always appreciated.**

 **XOXO**


	11. Chapter 11

**I know that I thank you guys at the beginning of every chapter but I sincerely hope that you know how much it means to me. I never thought that I would get this far and it's all thanks to you: the people that read, review, follow, and favorite this story. So, from the bottom of my heart, _thank you_.**

 **The dinner scene in this chapter was inspired by a wonderful gif set that the lovely Alice ('allybz' on here, 'lydamartin' on Tumblr) made for me. You can check it out on Tumblr.**

 **The poll for whether or not Marlee should remain human or become supernatural is still up on my profile, so if you haven't voted yet- what are you waiting for?**

 **As usual, you can find me on Polyvore ('earthdiva') and on Tumblr ('missunderstoodxoxo'); you can also check out the Marlee Decker tag on Tumblr.**

 **Inspiration for this chapter: "Strangers in Love" by Parisian (they're not in love yet but they really do like each other), "Back in Black" by AC/DC, "If You Ever Want to Be in Love" by James Bay, "Start of Time" by Gabrielle Aplin (the Stydia locker room song- if I was going to have a locker room scene, I needed to listen to that), and "Running Up That Hill" by Placebo**

 **Disclaimer: I own the Decker/Keating clan, Amy Shriner, and the car known as Ron Burgundy. Everything else belongs to the rightful owners.**

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On Sunday afternoon, Scott McCall's dirt bike pulled into the Deckers' driveway. Removing his helmet, he stared at the home for a moment, lost in thought. The past couple of days had been full of grief and frustration but today, he was feeling more upbeat. Scott knew that it had to do with the girl who lived in this house, the girl who always seemed to come to mind lately. If someone had told him a couple of months ago that he would be interested to someone other than Allison at this point in time, he would have thought that they were crazy. But now? Now he couldn't stop his heart from picking up the pace whenever he saw Marlee or the smile that would spread across his face whenever he received a text from her. (Stiles had mock-complained the other day that he was going to have to start wearing sunglasses around Scott with all of the beaming the beta was doing.)

"You just going to sit there or what?"

Scott's attention was brought to the girl standing on her porch, the front door open behind her.

"Come on, McCall. I need all the help I can get with this physics shit!"

A grin appeared on the young man's face as he dismounted his bike. He made his way to the house and up the front steps, helmet under his arm.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a little impatient?" He teased.

Marlee smirked at Scott as she replied, "Only about half a million times or so."

* * *

"So, Scott, how did you meet my lovely daughter? I mean, I already know, but I'd like your version."

After a bit of studying, Virginia called the two teenagers downstairs for dinner. After she had spent her usual amount of time fawning over her daughter's potential love interest (so she hoped), she had informed them that she would be going into work soon. Though it was a Sunday, she had to be in court the next morning and wanted to go over the evidence one last time. Due to the case being centered around some potentially unapproved firearms, Chris Argent had offered his expertise to help identify the dangers of some of the more difficult ones. The two of them would be meeting at her office in an hour or two.

Scott was speechless for a moment, his mouth hanging open slightly as he tried to think of what to say. Marlee looked thoroughly amused with the situation, waiting to see how he would answer the question.

"I, uh, I kind of pushed her down and ran away." He smiled sheepishly before turning to look at the girl sitting across from him.

Marlee looked intently at him, finding his humility sweet, before objecting, "He's just being modest, Mom. He saved my life…"

Her eyes never left Scott's as she spoke, popping a piece of her dinner into her mouth after she finished her sentence.

Scott gazed at the blonde as he replied, softly, "Yeah, I guess I did."

Marlee smiled back, a quiet chuckle shaking her shoulders.

"Okay, what am I missing here? How did you save her life?" Virginia's voice broke through the tender moment between the two.

"Well, Mother dearest," Marlee focused her attention on the woman staring at her, curiously. "While Scott and I were formerly introduced at school, that wasn't the first time we had met. I may or may not have accidentally stepped out into the street and almost got hit by a car- and Scott may or may not have pushed me out of the way."

"Oh my God!" The matriarch's fork and knife clattered onto her plate as she stared at her daughter in horror. "Why didn't you tell me?"

The younger blonde tried to downplay her words by shrugging, nonchalantly. "It was the day before school started and you were already stressed out enough. I didn't want to add to that."

"That doesn't mean you keep the fact that you were almost killed a secret!"

"It happened weeks ago. I'm fine. Superman over here saved the day. We're all good now."

Letting out a frustrated huff, Virginia turned to Scott. Her expression softened as she spoke to him. "Thank you, Scott, for saving my difficult child."

"You're welcome."

"Now, if we're past that-"

"We will be discussing this again at a later time, young lady!"

"As I was saying before being so rudely interrupted, if we're past that, I was wondering if Scott here would be so kind as to teach us a little more about lacrosse." The young woman turned her head and smiled at her friend. "We know the basics of the sport but it would be nice to know the finer details so we don't look like total noobs at matches in a few months."

The rest of dinner was spent talking about lacrosse and discussing upcoming projects in classes. Throughout the meal, Virginia observed Marlee and Scott's interactions. She wondered if her daughter noticed the way Scott's eyes lit up whenever she smiled or if he noticed the way that the times when Marlee really smiled were when she would meet his gaze. As a mother, her heart swelled at the sight. It was everything that she could have hoped for her child, especially after everything they had been through. From the looks of it, Scott had needed Marlee to bring a little light into his life as well. She knew that whatever was going on between those two wasn't love- at least, not yet… but it was something good.

* * *

"Marlee, you know this. I know that you know this."

A couple of hours after dinner, after Virginia had left for the office, the two high schoolers were lounging on Marlee's bed. Their textbooks and notebooks were spread out in front of them, information swimming across the pages. Edgar was currently hiding out in his room down the hall, avoiding Scott. (Whether it was because of the werewolf thing or the fact that Edgar was just a grumpy asshole, neither of them were really sure of the answer.)

"What makes you think that I know the answer? My brain is Swiss cheese right now; it's slowly deteriorating from all of this."

"Because you're smarter than you think and it's something that you need to have down- we have our first Physics test soon."

"Which I still think is stupid because our teacher is dead."

"If you get this right, we'll take a break." He attempted to compromise.

"What don't you understand about the words coming out of my mouth? There are too many fucking equations and there's no way I'm going to remember that the formula for kinetic energy is 'one-half multiplied by mass and multiplied by velocity to the second power'!"

"Marlee, you did it!" Scott exclaimed with a grin.

The blonde's eyes widened as she realized that she, in fact, had remembered the correct answer. Around the time she entered middle school, equations and formulas had become the educational bane of her existence. Fractions were one thing but then they threw in 'powers' and 'square roots'. Math and science were subjects that she had learned to thoroughly dread because of the difficulty she had with them.

With a brief shriek of excitement, she threw her arms around Scott, who started to laugh at the girl's elation. The feeling of happiness that was occurring over such a simple thing was intoxicating.

"You're the best, you know that?" Marlee said as she released him and pulled away.

Scott shrugged and modestly replied, "I try."

"Oh my God, why can't you ever take a compliment? In case I haven't already said this before, you should know that you're seriously one of the best people I have ever met in my entire life."

She wasn't sure why she was speaking so freely but it felt good. It had been a while since she had been able to open up to others without a second thought. Almost all of her inhibitions seemed to fall away around her friends, especially around the boy sitting with her- the same boy who was currently gazing at her in wonder and starting to lean closer.

"Scott…" she whispered.

Marlee didn't know why she wasn't moving away from him; she certainly didn't know why she seemed to be slowly leaning towards him as well, head slightly tilting to the side. She wasn't attracted to Scott McCall. She couldn't be attracted to Scott McCall. Someone like him wasn't meant to be with a fuckup like her. Yet, as she internally panicked with alarm bells going off in her mind, her eyes began to flutter shut...

The ringing of a cell phone made the two teenagers jolt away from each other. The screen of Scott's phone informed them that Stiles was calling. Marlee let out a quiet sigh of relief as the beta answered the call.

"Stiles?... Is she sure?... Alright, all of us will meet up there... Yeah, I'm still at her house. We'll take my bike... See you in a few."

The young man sighed as he raked a hand through his hair.

"Stiles says that Lydia is getting that feeling again."

"The 'corpse compass' feeling?"

"Yeah. She's headed towards the school."

Marlee gave a short, incredulous laugh before joking, dryly, "At this rate, I'm never going to pass Physics."

* * *

It seemed as if the pair had fallen into a routine. The process of hopping on Scott's bike and shooting off down the road had become effortless.

The two of them came to a stop outside of the school just as Stiles pulled up behind them.

"Where is she?" The pale boy asked.

"Over here." Allison called out.

The five teenagers quickly converged, anxious and on guard.

"Lydia?"

"It's the same thing. Same thing as the pool. I got into the car heading somewhere totally different, and ended up here. And- you told me to call you if there's a dead body."

"Wh- you found a dead body?"

"Not yet."

"'Not yet'? What do you mean 'not yet'? Lydia, you're supposed to call us after you find the dead body."

"Oh, no, I'm not doing that again." Lydia held a finger up. "You find the dead body from now on."

"How are we supposed to find the dead body? You're always the one finding the dead body."

Marlee observed her friends with a hint of amusement and disbelief.

 _The fact that this conversation is considered normal for us should probably seem a little bit more disturbing._

"Guys!" Her attention shifted to Scott, who had stepped away from the four of them. "I found the dead body."

Laying on top of the Beacon Hills High School sign, a river of blood marring the stone, was the corpse of a woman. As the group of teens moved closer to investigate, Marlee noticed the dark eyes were open, staring off into nothingness.

"Tara." She heard Stiles breathe out.

"You know her?" Marlee turned to look at the stricken young man.

"She's- well, she _was_ one of my dad's deputies." His voice was becoming thicker with emotion. "I've gotta- I've gotta call him."

Stiles' friends watched as he fumbled in his pocket before pulling out his cellphone. Tapping the call button, he shakily raised the phone to his ear.

"H-hey, Dad. I'm at the school a-and there- there's been…" Stiles couldn't seem to form the right words as he kept his gaze on the body of the deputy, a woman he had known for a number of years who had always been so nice to him.

Seeing that he wasn't going to be able to get through this conversation without breaking down, Marlee stepped over to stand next to Stiles; she gently took the device out of his hand before raising it to her own ear.

"Sheriff Stilinski?"

"Yes, who is this? Is my son okay?"

"Sheriff, this is Marlee Decker. We're currently at the school, as Danny Mahealani mentioned the band was practicing for the recital tomorrow and wanted our opinion. There's been another murder."

"Alright. Stay where you are but be alert. Keep an eye out for any suspicious activity and have Stiles call me if you notice anything out of the ordinary. I'll be there with a couple of squad cars soon."

"Of course. And Sheriff? I… Stiles recognized the body as one of your deputies, Tara. I'm so sorry."

There was only silence for a moment before the man responded quietly, "Okay. Thank you."

The two hung up before Marlee turned to look at her friends. Stiles was working to keep himself composed as Scott laid a hand on his best friend's shoulder. Lydia and Allison were conversing in low voices, shooting worried glances at Stiles every few seconds.

The bodies seemed to keep piling up. They needed to find the Darach soon… before it hit even closer to home.

* * *

Driving Ron Burgundy to school for the first time in weeks was a fucking good feeling. With "Back In Black" blasting from the speakers, the Oldsmobile pulled into the BHHS parking lot. As she looked for a spot, she could see a cleaning crew working to get the remainder of Tara's blood off of the school sign. After finding a place to park her car, Marlee noticed Amy Shriner shooting her and her beloved vehicle a repulsed look. The blonde resisted the urge to throw a middle finger up in the air, simply rolling her eyes before glaring right back.

 _Ugh, for fuck's sake. She really needs to take a fucking chill pill. Just because she thinks that Scott and I are…_

Just as Marlee thought that, an all-too familiar dirt bike parked in its usual spot. She watched as its rider dismounted and pulled their helmet off. Her thoughts drifted to the night before, when she and the boy she was currently studying had almost… had almost kissed. The memory of Scott leaning towards her, that look in his eyes, caused butterflies to flit around in her stomach. Just as quickly as they started, she put an end to them.

 _Okay, this has gotta stop! Scott already has enough shit going on in his life and the last thing he needs is to get tangled up with me. Besides, have the past few years taught me nothing? Romance and love is just a load of bullshit. I don't need that, he doesn't need that, nobody needs that._

Pulled out of her internal scolding by the sounds of a softer melody, Marlee finally realized that the song had changed a minute ago.

" _If you ever want to be in love, I'll come around-"_

Marlee immediately unplugged her iPod, mortified. She was thankful that no one else knew about what she had just experienced. Yet as she looked out her windshield and met Scott's brown eyes and his frustratingly beautiful smile, she got the feeling that maybe someone else did know.

* * *

"Idioms, analogies, metaphors, and similes- all tools the writer uses to tell their story."

Marlee was faintly paying attention to what the brunette woman was saying. It completely sucked that a subject she loved had to be taught by someone that she absolutely despised. Though she wasn't any good at math-related classes, Marlee excelled in English classes. She had always been an avid reader and loved to write short stories and poetry before her dad died. Her mother had always applauded her when her literature and composition scores on standardized tests came back; they were always in the advanced category.

Ms. Blake stopped at a student's desk, glancing down at the redhead's notebook. Marlee would bet her entire college fund that her friend was sketching that infamous tree again.

"Lydia, I wasn't aware you had so many hidden talents."

"You and every guy I've ever dated." Lydia remarked, smartly, as she looked up at her teacher with a shameless smile.

More than a few heads turned as Marlee unsuccessfully attempted to stifle peals of laughter.

Jennifer let out an awkward noise of mortification before replying, "Oh, um, well, that was an idiom, by the way."

The woman regained her composure and began to walk away, continuing, "Idioms are something of a secret to the people who know the language or the culture."

Marlee narrowed her eyes at her teacher as the brunette noticeably looked at Stiles and then Scott.

"They're phrases that only make sense if you know key words. Saying 'jump the gun' is meaningful only if you know about the starting gun in a race, or a phrase like 'seeing the whole board.'"

"Like chess." Stiles said to himself, quietly.

"That's right, Stiles. Do you play?"

"Uh, no. My father does."

Ms. Blake smiled at the boy sweetly before asking her class, "Now, when does an idiom become a cliché?"

Marlee watched as Scott shifted in his seat to face Stiles.

"I think I can get to Ethan. I'm pretty sure I can make him talk."

"What do you want to do that for?"

"The druids are emissaries, right? So what if the Darach was an emissary to the Alphas?" Scott explained.

"Okay, first of all, I cannot believe that we've gotten to the point where a sentence like, 'What if the Darach was an emissary to the Alphas?' actually makes sense to me. Second of all, we're gonna have a huge problem getting to Ethan."

"What's that?"

"Going through Aiden. Ever since he's been back at school, they're always together. How are we gonna separate them again?"

Marlee leaned towards them and whispered, "I can always jump on his back and gouge his eyes out with my nails."

Scott's lips twitched in amusement, despite the fact that she was completely serious, before Stiles countered, "Or…"

The three of them seemed to have reached the same conclusion. Marlee's head snapped in Lydia's direction as the boys simultaneously twisted to face the strawberry blonde.

The girl, tearing her attention away from her notebook, looked thoroughly exasperated- yet expectant- as she inquired, "What now?"

* * *

With all of the commotion that had been going on recently, Marlee had forgotten that she had a scheduled appointment with the guidance counselor that day. It wasn't until the woman had approached her in the hallway that she remembered. Trudging behind the druid, there was a tight feeling being produced in the blonde girl's chest. The image of Boyd's still body flashed through her mind. As she settled into a seat in Marin Morrell's office, she reminded herself that the authority figure in front of her was really a wolf in sheep's clothing.

"I know we haven't talked much in our previous sessions but-"

"You wanna talk?" Marlee's tone was sharp yet she kept her best poker face on. "Fine. Let's talk. Did you know that the Alpha pack was going to kill Boyd?"

A flicker of surprise passed in the other woman's eyes before she adopted an impassive expression.

"I didn't."

"They've killed people, slaughtered their entire packs to rise to the top. And they still kill people- they killed Erica and Boyd! They were just kids! How can you side with them? How you can you trust them?"

Marlee's cool demeanor had melted away, revealing the fury that raged within her.

"I'm going to let you in on a little secret."

Ms. Morrell leaned forward, as if they were conspiring.

"The only person I trust is myself." She disclosed in a low voice. "I'm not doing this for them. I'm doing this for me. I'm doing this for my own survival. If I don't comply, Deucalion will not hesitate to rip my throat out."

Marlee leaned forward as well, narrowing her eyes at the emissary in front of her. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you and I are more alike than you think."

"I really don't find that reassuring, seeing as you play 'babysitter' for a bunch of homicidal mutts."

As the counselor began to open her mouth to reply, she froze and looked past the student in front of her towards her office door.

"If I were you, I'd be out in the hallway in the next ten seconds. A couple of your friends are about to run by and I'd suggest that you go with them."

Despite her uneasy relationship with the woman, Marlee didn't hesitate to snatch up her bag and scramble out of her seat. Taking the few steps from her chair to the door, she flung it open before darting across the waiting area of the guidance office. She could already hear the sound of rushing footsteps when she entered the hallway, right before Scott, Stiles, and Ethan rounded the corner. Without missing a beat, she joined them as they continued to dash towards the boys' locker room. They burst through the door just in time to see the other alpha twin smack Cora Hale across the face with a barbell weight. The beta went down like a ton of bricks, sliding across the ground.

"Aiden, you fucking psycho!" Marlee snarled while Scott and Ethan moved to restrain the wolfed-out douchebag. She crouched down on the floor next to Cora as the weight clattered to the ground.

"Aiden, you can't do this!" Ethan rebuked.

The werewolf in question, fangs still visible, defended his actions. "She came at me!"

"It doesn't matter! Kali gave Derek until the next full moon. You can't touch him or her."

Aiden stared at the group gathered on the floor, specifically Lydia, before his brother ushered him out of the room with a sigh.

Stiles peered down at Cora, who was blinking rapidly while her head wound slowly continued to bleed.

"Hey, guys, I think she's pretty hurt."

The four teens surrounding the injured girl studied her before Scott spoke.

"Let's get her cleaned up."

While the other three gingerly helped Cora to her feet and guided her towards the sinks, Marlee grabbed a wet paper towel and got to work with wiping the blood off of the floor. There wasn't much she could do without disinfectant but it still got the job done well enough.

"This will have to do." She declared before shooting the paper towel into a trashcan. She walked over to the left sink to wash her hands.

Cora groaned in annoyance as she dabbed at her wound, eying it in the mirror.

"You okay?" Scott asked the Hale, looking at her in concern.

Marlee leaned back against the sink she had just used and crossed her arms, watching them.

"She doesn't look okay." Lydia answered instead.

"I'll heal." Cora stated, sounding a bit disgruntled.

As the dark-haired girl stepped back, she began to sway. Marlee straightened up, meaning to steady the young woman, but Scott and Stiles beat her to it. Cora held a hand up, causing the boys to back away.

"I said 'I'm fine.'"

"Do you realize how suicidally crazy that was? What were you thinking going after them?" Stiles questioned.

"I did it for Boyd." She snapped, abruptly turning to the trio on her right. "None of you were doing anything."

"We're trying." Scott replied, softly.

"And you're failing. You're just a bunch of stupid teenagers- running around, thinking that you can stop people from getting killed. But all you do is show up late. All you really do is find the bodies."

Cora walked off without another word, leaving the people that she had addressed looking down in shame. Marlee watched her leave, a frown set in place.

"She's definitely a Hale." Stiles said before moving past Scott and Lydia. "I'll make sure she gets home."

Marlee observed her two remaining friends, carefully assessing their expressions. "Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah… I- I've got to go to class." Lydia weakly uttered. The redhead strolled out, staring at the floor in thought.

With a sigh, Scott wandered over to one of the benches in the locker room and sat down. He hunched over, hanging his head and curling his hands around the edge of the seat. After a moment of hesitation, Marlee moved to sit beside him. She studied his features, hating the dejection she saw there.

"You know she only said those things because she just got her ass kicked."

"She's right though."

"Okay, that's definitely not true." She lightly bumped his shoulder with hers'. "You saved Deaton's life just the other day."

"Allison's grandfather said the reason that the police found another body so quickly is because the Darach expected Deaton to survive. He even suggested that Deaton might be the one we're looking for."

Marlee snorted.

"Yeah, well, from what I've heard, Allison's grandfather has a few screws loose. And I've met your boss. The guy may have that whole 'tall, dark, and mysterious' thing going for him but he's not a cold-blooded killer."

"Yeah, but whoever it is- they're still two steps ahead of us."

"Remember what Ms. Blake was saying earlier about 'seeing the whole board'? We've been examining the Darach's moves and soon enough, we're going to outmaneuver them."

Scott turned his head to meet her stare. She kept steady eye contact with him as she spoke again.

"Hey… you're doing the best you can."

"But maybe-"

"'But maybe your best isn't good enough'? I don't wanna hear anything like that. You really need to learn how to give yourself some credit, McCall."

Her attention was drawn to her phone as it buzzed in her pocket, alerting her that she had received a text. Pulling out her cell, she chuckled at the message.

"My mom wants to know if it's okay for her to go out to dinner with some coworkers. Like I'm going to say 'no.'"

Scott gazed at Marlee in awe while she typed out a reply. She had only known him for a few weeks, yet she already had so much faith in him and his abilities. Taking in the the playful smirk on her face and the amusement that danced in her eyes, he couldn't help but remember what had almost transpired between the two of them the night before. If only Stiles had called just a minute later…

"What?"

The sound of her voice cut through his musings. She had caught him staring and was looking at him in curiosity, the slightest hint of nerves barely concealed.

"Nothing." Pushing himself off of the bench, Scott held out a hand to help Marlee stand. "I'm going to go talk to Ms. Morrell. It's time we got some answers."

"I just came from there. She's in a cryptic mood- as usual."

"There is no doubt in my mind that she and Deaton really are brother and sister."

Marlee let out a laugh, causing Scott to smile to himself, pleased.

A half hour later, she met him outside of the guidance office. The perturbed look on his face bothered her.

"Hey, how did it go?"

Scott composed himself quickly before responding, "About as well as you'd expect. She's not the one killing people."

"How do you know for sure?"

"She told me to listen to her heartbeat. It was steady when she answered."

"There's something going on in one of the history rooms."

The two of them glanced to the side to see Ethan, who was looking rather tense.

"Someone else was taken." He clarified.

No other words needed to be said. The three of them immediately started to head over to the room. Scott and Marlee approached the crowd gathered in the doorway, Ethan not that far behind them. Ms. Blake stood, arms crossed, in front of a distressed-looking Lydia. Aiden maintained his protective and comforting stance next to the redhead. If Marlee didn't know any better, she would have thought he was just being a normal, caring boyfriend.

"Okay. Look, we're just trying to understand, okay? All we know is that Mr. Westover didn't show up for class." The teacher tried to calm the younger female.

"And the last time that happened was Mr. Harris. Anyone heard from him lately?" Lydia fired back. "He's gone."

The genius strode over to the board, which showed five overlapping circles. The one on the right had a '2' written in it.

"And he's going to be the second murder." She stated, boldly, as she pointed at the number.

"But, Lydia, you wrote that number."

"Okay, fine." After a moment of hesitation, Lydia proclaimed, "I'm psychic."

"You're psychic?" Ms. Blake replied, disbelieving.

" _I'm something!"_

The exclamation drew quite a few odd looks from individuals who were within earshot.

Marlee frowned at the brunette's attempts to diminish Lydia's claims. It didn't matter if they were in a room full of people who were unaware of the supernatural. If Jennifer Blake really was involved with Derek or whatever (a thought that made Marlee mentally vomit), then she should have known that the strawberry blonde had a solid argument. The woman didn't have to try and make her student appear hysterical or delusional.

"A deputy and a teacher? What's the pattern?" Ethan asked Scott.

"I don't know."

* * *

Later that night, Marlee was home alone while Virginia was out and about. She had just sat down with some leftovers when her cellphone rang, 'Superman Scott' lighting up the screen.

"Hurro?" She greeted through a mouthful of food.

"Marlee, you have to get down to the school right now. We were wrong. The targets aren't guardians, they're philosophers. Every teacher is here for the recital."

The blonde swallowed her food before responding, "You know, someday you're going to call me and we're going to have a completely normal conversation."

She hastily shoved her dinner back in the fridge before scooping up her keys, heading towards the garage.

"I'm on my way."

Marlee was careful to keep the speeding to a minimum when needed, driving faster on parts of the road where no cops would be lurking. The parking lot was packed with vehicles when she arrived but she managed to find a spot near the farther end. She sprinted towards the school and made her way inside. Entering the auditorium, she spotted Lydia and Scott.

"Hey," she swiftly approached them, "where are the others?"

Scott leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Allison and Isaac are with her dad; they just found Mr. Westover's body. Stiles is at the hospital because Cora passed out but he's on his way here."

Troubled, Marlee began to ask him for more details, only for the houselights to dim. Deciding to stay vigilant of her surroundings, she saved the questions for later. She glanced around every few seconds as the principal gave a speech about all of the lives that had been lost recently.

"… while they may be gone, they will never be forgotten."

Marlee suppressed the urge to scoff at his words. Though they were meant to be encouraging and sympathetic, they were also a bit redundant. She was sure that everyone in here would be haunted by the loss of at least one of those lives for as long as they lived.

The conductor directed the orchestra to pick up their instruments and begin playing. Beautiful yet eerie music filled the air, creating an ominous atmosphere around them. Neither Scott nor Marlee noticed as Lydia slipped away a moment later. What they did notice was the Argents and Isaac quietly entering the room. The trio slipped off to the side of the room after exchanging looks with the two teens.

Stiles weaved his way over to the pair a minute later.

"Hey. We notice anything yet?"

"No one looks overly suspicious so far." Marlee replied, lowly. "How's Cora?"

"Derek's with her right now. Last time I saw her, she looked pretty rough."

"And your dad?" Scott inquired.

His friend grimaced. "He didn't believe me."

Marlee had been so focused on people entering the building, watching for the potential killer, she only noticed at that moment that someone was missing.

"Where did Lydia go?"

The boys scanned the room and when their friend was nowhere to be found, they raced off towards the front of the school. Their female companion stayed behind to keep an eye on things.

It happened in an instant. The music's tempo abruptly changed. As the choir began to sing that haunting chant that had become associated with the elusive Darach, Marlee shoved her way past people who were looking at the stage in confusion.

"Guys!" She called to Scott and Stiles as she bolted out of the doors they had exited through shortly before. "The choir just started fucking chanting."

The faint sound of a wail in the distance reached them. Scott's hypersensitive hearing caused him to let out grunts of pain as he clamped his hands over his ears, falling to his knees.

"Scott?" Stiles questioned, unsettled by his best friend's actions.

"Lydia…" He managed to groan.

Recovering from the audial onslaught that had just occurred, Scott steadily picked himself up off of the ground.

"It came from over by the English room."

As the three of them went back into the school and flew down the halls, the screaming started from the auditorium. They knew what had to have happened but kept moving forward, determined to save Lydia. Scott used his supernatural speed to his advantage and shot off like a rocket, leaving Stiles and Marlee in the dust.

 _Why does he even need a bike when he's basically the Flash?_

The pair eventually reached one of the open doors to the classroom and gaped at what they saw inside. Lydia, tears streaming down her face, was tied to a chair while Jennifer Blake stood a few feet away from her.

 _I knew there was something off about her!_

The brunette woman turned her head in their direction and managed to effortlessly shove her desk in front of the door, effectively closing and blocking it.

"You fucking psychotic bitch!" Marlee yelled.

Stiles attempted to push the door open, futilely slamming his body into it.

"I'll check the other one."

Marlee dashed around to the back entrance- completely unaware of the toppled student desks- only to find that something was blocking that as well. A gunshot went off somewhere in the room. Running back to where she had left Stiles, she found him with his face pressed up against the glass.

"What's going on?"

"My dad's in there." Her friend was downright terrified as he said those words.

Adrenaline rushed through her veins as that goddamn mysterious chanting started up again. She made Stiles shift slightly and pressed her body against the door.

"Push!"

Together, the two of them managed to move the desk enough so they would be able to squeeze through the door. A shattering sound mingled with the noise of the desk's legs scraping against the floor. Stiles and Marlee shoved past the mess and hurried to the window. Scott, who Marlee anxiously noticed had a trail of blood going down his chin, joined them.

"Dad?"

Jagged glass remained in the windowpane, silently taunting them. Jennifer Blake had disappeared into the night, taking Stiles' very own father with her.

* * *

 **I'm sure a few of you are mad at me right now for that little teasing 'almost'.**

 **Be sure to review! Please.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Oh man! You guys are totally blowing me away with all of the favorites, follows, and review. Thank you all so much!**

 **Okay, guys, this is critical information: Whenever I upload the next chapter, I will be closing the poll on my profile. So, if you haven't voted whether or not you want Marlee to remain human or gain a supernatural essence, NOW IS THE TIME.**

 **You can find me on Polyvore ('earthdiva') or Tumblr ('missunderstoodxoxo'). You can also check out the Marlee Decker tag on Tumblr.**

 **Inspiration for this chapter: "Heroes" by Peter Gabriel, "We Must Be Killers" by Mikky Ekko, "And the World Was Gone" by Snow Ghosts (the song used at the episode of "The Overlooked"), and "Muddy Waters" by LP**

 **Disclaimer: I own the Decker/Keating clan, Amy Shriner, and the car known as Ron Burgundy. Everything else belongs to the rightful owners.**

* * *

While Scott and Stiles had freed Lydia from her restraints, Marlee had called Allison to inform her of the situation. The Argents and Isaac met them in the classroom and promised to get the redhead to a paramedic; the trio also revealed that one of the piano wires had snapped and whipped back, slitting the pianist's throat in front of the entire auditorium. Scott, Marlee, and Stiles had taken off in Roscoe after everyone was caught up. They knew it was only a matter of time before Jennifer went to Derek, in an attempt to convince her lover that she was completely innocent.

Storm clouds rolled in above them, lightning crackling and the wind howling.

Marlee was curled up in the backseat of the Jeep, watching the chaos occurring on the other side of the window. She was still trying to process the fact that Jennifer had taken the sheriff- specifically when the three teenagers had been right there. This already treacherous game of cat and mouse had just hit a whole new low. All of them had gone in tonight, thinking that they might finally be able to stop whoever was killing people- only to walk out with one pianist dead, a parent of one of their own missing, and their English teacher being the magical maniac behind it all.

"What if he doesn't believe us?" Stiles questioned Scott from the front seat.

"He will." Marlee spoke up, still staring out at the rain.

"How can you be so sure?"

"From what I've seen and the way the two of you talk about him, I know that you really care about him." She finally switched her focus from the cloudburst to the boys. "And chances are, Derek cares about you just as much. There's no way he'd believe his _lady friend_ over you guys."

The label she spat off of her tongue was laced with venom, a deep seed of hatred for Jennifer Blake planted in her chest.

None of them said a word after that, their minds too busy racing with possibilities.

When they reached the loft, Stiles had barely put the Jeep into 'park' when they all jumped out. The three of them sprinted to the door and up the stairs, their hearts pounding in their chests at the thought of what they might find.

"Derek!" Scott shouted as he threw the door open.

"Scott?" Derek asked in alarm as he came down the spiral staircase. "What are you doing here?"

"Ms. Blake's the one who's been killing people."

"What?"

It was easy to see that the alpha was thrown off by such a claim.

"Your little girlfriend's been the one sacrificing everyone, okay?" Stiles was frustrated, as every minute that passed by meant that his father might be closer to death. "She killed a teacher at the recital, she tried to kill Lydia, and she took my dad!"

"That's not possible." Derek shook his head in disbelief as he crossed his arms.

"Derek, what do you even really know about her? It's like she showed up in Beacon Hills out of nowhere and suddenly people start getting murdered left and right!"

"Wait, does that mean I was a suspect?" Marlee was slightly offended.

"Briefly, yes- but that's not the point!"

"Derek," Scott brought everyone's attention back to the subject at hand. "I really wish that we didn't have to tell you this but it's true."

The older man tilted his head down towards the ground and stood there for a few moments, lost in thought. When he looked back up, his green eyes were full of grim determination.

"All right, so, what do we do now?"

* * *

"Derek?"

They heard the door to the loft slide open as Jennifer called out, her 'Ms. Blake' persona displayed.

"Derek, where are you?"

"Right here."

Derek's voice betrayed nothing. There was no indication in his tone that suggested he knew about what had happened in the past hour.

There was a faint sound of 'Thank God' before it was silent for a moment. Marlee assumed that meant Jennifer had thrown herself at the alpha.

"Something happened at the recital. At the school. Okay, I need to tell you before you hear it, before you hear any of it from them."

"From who?"

"Scott, Stiles, Marlee. They're gonna tell you things. Things you can't believe. You have to trust me, okay? You trust me."

"What is it?"

"Promise you'll listen to me."

"I promise."

Once again, there was silence and Marlee fought the urge to gag as she imagined what must have been happening between the two. Something must have tipped Jennifer off because suddenly, she spoke again.

"They're already here, aren't they?"

Derek didn't respond, simply looking over the woman's shoulder as the three teenagers emerged from around the corner.

"So, they told you it was me?" The brunette's question sounded flat as she glanced at the trio before switching her attention back to Derek. Her tone changed pitch, turning into one of disbelief. "That I'm the one taking people?"

"We told him you're the one _killing_ people." Scott stated.

"Oh, that's right." Jennifer laughed, sarcastically. "Committing human sacrifices? What, cutting their throats? Yeah, I- I probably do it on my lunch hour. That way, I can get back to teaching high school English the rest of the day. That makes perfect sense."

"Where's my dad?" Stiles asked, a tear slipping down his face.

"How should I know?"

Turning the opposite direction, the supposed English teacher pleaded with her lover.

"Derek, tell me you don't believe this."

The Hale didn't give an answer at first, staring the woman down before looking past her at the teens. While all three of them wore serious expressions, there were different emotions shown on each of their faces. Scott's glare had shifted from the Darach to Derek, willing the other werewolf to believe him. Stiles's eyes were still watering, everything about his appearance showing that he was shaken and desperate for the alpha to believe him. Marlee's lips were set in a thin line and the look in her eyes was one of unadulterated hatred for the other female standing in the room. Derek's gaze landed back on Jennifer.

"Do you know what happened to Stiles's father?"

"No." The woman shook her head.

"Ask her why she almost killed Lydia." Scott prompted.

"Lydia Martin?" Ms. Blake's voice was incredulous. "I don't know anything about that."

"What do you know?" Derek inquired, done with playing games.

"I know that these kids, for whatever misguided reason, are filling your head with an absurd story." She faced said-kids as lightning lit up the room for a brief second. "And one they can't prove, by the way."

"What if we can?"

Scott held up a bottle full of powder.

"What is that?" Jennifer was a bit uneasy at the sight.

At that question, Marlee's lips twitched up into an impish smirk.

"My boss told me it's a poison and a cure," the beta explained as he walked forward, "which means you can use it… and it can be used against you."

"Mistletoe?" The older woman gave up any chance at keeping her identity a secret at that point.

Scott moved his arm in a sweeping motion, sending the powder flying towards her. She uselessly held her arms up, attempting to block her face. The body inside of the miniature dust storm blurred as it shifted between appearances. Eventually, there was a solid enough image for everyone in the room to see. A dark hood fell back to reveal a completely bald head and ashen skin, twisted and marred by unbelievable scars. Eyes completely devoid of color stared at her students as she opened her mouth and roared. The dust eventually cleared, revealing the façade she had created over the past few weeks. She struggled to catch her breath, winded by the sudden transformation.

"Damn, you are one fugly bitch." Marlee fired at Jennifer, feeling no sympathy for the murderous figure in front of her.

Jennifer shot the blonde a scowl before glancing at Derek. She attempted to flee, only to be pushed back by the man standing next to her. His hand wrapped around her throat while he flicked his other wrist, causing his claws to protract.

"Derek, wait, wait! You need me."

"What are you?" He growled.

"The only person who can save your sister." She rasped. "Call Peter. Call him!"

Derek kept the one hand to her throat as he fished his cellphone out of his pocket, doing as she said.

"How's Cora?"

Everything was quiet, except for the sky exploding outside, while Peter spoke on the other end. Derek's voice was grave as he confirmed what he now knew.

"Mistletoe."

Hanging up the phone, he started to tighten his grip as the woman who had tricked him began to gasp for air.

"Derek. Derek, what are you doing?" Scott was alarmed by what he was witnessing.

"Her life, it's in my hands." Jennifer managed to get out.

With gritted teeth, the older werewolf began to lift her in the air by the neck.

"Stop. Derek, stop!" Stiles moved forward, holding a hand out.

Jennifer used that to her advantage as she began to speak quickly.

"Stilinski, you'll never find him."

"Derek." When Scott went ignored, he called again. "Derek!"

With a look of reluctance, the man dropped the druid, causing her to fall to the floor.

Thunder cracked outside as Jennifer slowly lifted her head, dark locks framing her smug face. She turned her head to look at Derek.

"That's right. You need me."

Swinging her head in the other direction, she looked at the teenagers. "All of you."

"They might but I don't."

At that moment, Marlee was blinded by her rage. She wasn't thinking about the repercussions of her actions. She was seeing the obituaries, a little less than a dozen printed in black and white. She was thinking about Lydia, who had almost been strangled to death a mere hour ago. She was thinking about the night at the Glen Capri, worried out of her mind about her friends and reliving the past. But most of all, she was remembering Scott, drenched in gasoline with a flare in his hand, ready to take his own life right in front of her eyes.

Marlee lunged at the psychotic woman, only to be held back by Scott and Stiles. The former brought her closer and wrapped his arms around her, using his supernatural strength to keep her in place.

"Oh, Marlee, you always knew that something wasn't quite right, didn't you?" Jennifer taunted. "Not even Stiles picked up on it, but you- you knew that there was more than what meets the eye."

"You played up the 'sweet and innocent damsel in distress' role just a little too much." The girl had stopped struggling to escape Scott's arms, settling for glaring daggers at the woman. "We may be surrounded by the unimaginable but this isn't some fucking fairytale and you sure as hell aren't Snow White."

* * *

The storm raged on around them as Stiles sped towards the hospital, rain pelting the Jeep's windshield.

"I don't know, something feels wrong about this." He admitted. "You know, we proved it to Derek, but she still had this look like it didn't matter. You know, like it was all still going according to plan."

Stiles turned to Scott and asked, "You saw it, didn't you?"

When he didn't receive an answer from his best friend, he glanced over his shoulder at Marlee.

The girl replied in a bitter tone, "That bitch always seems to have a trick up her sleeve."

Soon enough, they were parking outside of the hospital. As everyone bailed out of their vehicles, Marlee pulled her hood up to shield herself from the downpour.

"What's that?" Scott asked Stiles, looking at the object in his friend's hands.

"Well, you've got claws. I got a bat."

"And I've got nothing!" Marlee laughed. "Next time, I'm putting my knife in my pocket."

"What knife?" Stiles questioned, incredulously.

"The knife I keep in my car."

Their conversation was put on hold when the three of them caught up to Derek and Jennifer. The group hurried up the front steps as others fled for their cars in the other direction. When they were inside, Derek grabbed onto Jennifer's arm, making sure she didn't try to hightail it out of there. They marched down the corridor, the Darach looking less than pleased about her current position, searching for the elevators.

As they began to round a corner, the sound of Melissa's voice followed them.

"Scott! Scott!"

The older woman ran up to her son, taking in the sight before her.

"What are you doing here? The hospital's evacuating."

"We're here for Cora."

"What, all of you? Why does Stiles have my bat?"

"Mom, just trust me on this." Scott urged her. "You need to get out of here."

Thunder rolled across the sky right above the hospital, punctuating the beta's words.

"Right now." He told his mother.

Melissa's eyes quickly scanned the group before giving a slight nod of her head.

"The building is supposed to be clear in thirty minutes. We've got two ambulances that are coming back. One's 10 minutes out, the other's twenty. Cora needs to be on one of those." She informed them. "They'll be picking up in the basement garage."

"Got it."

"Okay."

And with that, Melissa watched anxiously as her only child and the others walked down the hall, continuing on their mission.

Derek tightened his hold as he dragged Jennifer into the elevator, the kids filing in after him.

With an indignant glare, the woman defended herself.

"You don't have to keep me on a leash, Derek. I'm going to help."

She noticed that no one seemed to believe her when she glanced around the small space. Everyone was giving her a look of distrust and anger. Jennifer simply shook her head with an annoyed look.

They must have been quite the sight, all of them looking so damn serious while Stiles was holding the bat up, ready to swing if needed.

The elevator chimed before opening and the five spilled out, glancing around at the flickering lights.

Marlee noted Derek stopping outside of what was presumably Cora's room with Ms. Blake. When she and the boys joined the pair, she saw that the hospital bed was empty and there was a splatter of black blood on the floor.

"Derek." Scott said as everyone focused in on the little flecks of blood trailing out of the room.

All eyes followed the path of the dots, which stopped at a set of doors. The sound of muffled grunts could be heard from the other side. The double doors swung open as Peter slid towards them on his back. He let out a groan of pain before peering up at his nephew.

"We've got a problem."

At the questioning look on Derek's face, Peter lifted his head and looked in the direction he had just came from.

"Big problem." He amended.

At the end of the hallway, being silhouetted by a flash of lightning, was the twins' combined form. It- _they_ let out a roar as they became aware of the others that had just appeared.

Letting go of Jennifer's arm, Derek tilted his head down before lifting it once again. His face had transformed into its werewolf state, fangs bared as he growled at the twins- well, 'Voltron Wolf', as Stiles had oh-so lovingly referred to them as when he and Marlee were headed to the Hale loft a few days before.

Voltron and Derek both bellowed as they charged at each other. Meeting them head-on, Derek wrapped his arms around the larger wolf and began to push them back. It was only a matter of seconds before the twins gained the upper hand.

Scott, who had transformed while everyone else had been focused on Derek, surged forward. Marlee watched, astonished, as the boy she had grown rather close to jumped to push off from a wall and swipe at the beast.

Stiles crouched down next to Peter and said something to the werewolf, unheard by Marlee over the commotion. The older man picked himself up before he and Stiles headed towards the fray. Quickly moving past Voltron and Scott, the two reached Cora.

It was only Marlee, who was still planted in her original spot, that noticed Jennifer backing up towards the elevator. The young blonde reached the other woman just as the doors opened.

"Oh hell no."

Marlee slipped by the Darach without another word, positioning herself at the back of the small area. There was no way she was letting this psycho go anywhere alone. Jennifer knew she didn't have time to deal with the girl, instead focusing on the elevator doors, anxiously waiting for them to shut. All of the alphas at the other end of the hall turned their heads in the direction of the two females standing beyond the closing metal doors. Aiden and Ethan's form ran towards the pair but were too late to stop them. As Jennifer gazed at Derek, an almost regretful expression on her face, Marlee's eyes were trained on Scott, who had fallen to the floor after being released by the twins. Soon, the only thing the elevator's occupants saw were their faint reflections on stainless steel. The younger of the two observed that her former teacher's reflection seemed to flicker between her Ms. Blake illusion and her true appearance.

"Looks like there was a good reason to keep you on a leash. What do you even plan on doing once we reach a different floor?"

Jennifer glanced back at Marlee and answered bluntly, "I'm going to knock you unconscious and escape with my life."

"You told Derek that you would help Cora." The teenager shot back, accusatory.

"Well, I can't exactly do that if I'm dead."

The elevator stopped on the first floor with a _'ding'_. When the doors slid open, Jennifer immediately exited the lift while Marlee stayed inside. The latter was glad about her decision not even a few seconds later as two people began to slowly round the corner at the end of the corridor. Deucalion was accompanied by his unofficial sidekick, Kali, who was barefoot as usual. Raising his cane in the air, the head Alpha removed the metal end before throwing it at the dark-haired druid. The spear- _his cane is a fucking spear_ \- planted itself in the wall, just barely missing the woman's head. As Kali rushed forward, Jennifer retreated back into the elevator. Marlee pressed herself against a sidewall, watching as the former emissary frantically pushed the button for the second floor. They were so close to getting away until clawed fingers appeared. Kali began to pry the doors open. Just as it looked as if the werewolf would be able to enter the elevator, Jennifer's eyes began to glow a milky white color. Swiftly moving her arms forward and slamming her palms into the metal, the woman sent her adversary flying back, effectively shutting the doors.

"Holy shit." Marlee breathed out.

Despite the animosity between the two, Jennifer smirked in amusement at the younger girl.

"Pretty cool, right?"

The teenager quickly shook off the slight awe she had been feeling and scoffed.

"Yeah, because, ya know, murdering innocent people is fucking awesome."

"I'm saving lives."

The lights above them flickered several times, briefly stopping the elevator.

"By killing them?"

"What's fifteen individuals dying for a noble cause compared to the hundreds of people that the Alphas will inevitably slaughter if we don't stop them?"

"Oh my God, the crazy practically radiates off of you." Marlee muttered.

Both were quiet for a moment until the teen spoke again.

"Goddammit, everyone has a weapon except me."

Jennifer looked thoughtfully at the ruffled human.

"Soon enough, you may not need one."

Before Marlee could question the cryptic statement, the elevator came to a halt and the doors ominously slid open- right before the power went out. The druid held an arm out, silently telling the junior to wait, while she got a feel for the whereabouts of everyone.

"The twins are on the other side of the floor. They separated forms; there's two of them now." Jennifer spoke softly, almost inaudible. "Derek and the others are holed up in an operating room."

Keeping their footsteps light, the duo crept towards where everyone was hiding. The backup generators started as they moved. Peeking through the glass windows, they could see the group gathered in the center, Peter and Scott hovering over a quite possibly dying Cora. Jennifer pushed her way into the room, responding to something Marlee hadn't detected with her normal hearing. The blonde followed before the wooden doors could swing shut on her.

"You can't. Only I can." Jennifer moved closer to the others. "I can save her, and I can tell you where Sheriff Stilinski is. But there is a pack of Alphas in this hospital who want me dead. So I'll help you, but only when I'm out of here and safe. _Only then._ "

Derek abruptly and violently pushed a tray of scalpels out of his path before going after Ms. Blake. Scott blocked the older male, attempting to hold him back.

"Derek, wait!"

"She was trying to get out." The alpha pointed a finger at his former lover.

"I was trying to keep from getting killed. You can't blame me for that."

"Yeah, and Deucalion, not to mention Kali, almost had you. So, great job there, Houdini." Marlee retorted as she made her way towards the people she actually liked- and Peter.

"If you want to show you're one of the good guys, then heal her." Stiles challenged the Darach.

"Not until I'm safe."

"I'd like to volunteer a different method of persuasion. Let's torture her." Peter offered.

"Finally." Marlee sighed.

"Works for me." Derek responded as he knocked Scott's arm away from him.

He had just started to move forward when the P.A. system came to life.

" _Um, can I have your attention?"_ Melissa's voice echoed through the building, sounding just a bit fearful. _"Mr. Deucalion… Excuse me, just Deucalion, requests you bring the woman calling herself 'Jennifer Blake' to the E.R. reception. Do this, and everyone else can leave. You have ten minutes."_

The message ended with a click.

Everyone in the room took a moment to process this while "Jennifer" shook her head.

"He's not gonna hurt her."

"Shut up." Derek warned the woman as he pointed at her.

"He won't!" She insisted.

The brunette turned her attention towards Scott.

"Scott, you know why. Tell them it's true."

"What does she mean?" Derek asked his young friend.

When the beta didn't answer, the woman scoffed before speaking again.

"You're not the only one he wants in his pack."

All eyes landed on Scott, who remained silent.

"Deucalion doesn't just want an Alpha pack. He wants perfection. That means adding the rarest of Alphas to his ranks."

"A true Alpha." Peter realized.

"What's that?" Stiles inquired.

"The kind that doesn't have to steal his power from another." The oldest Hale explained. "One that can rise by the force of his own will."

He paused before musing, looking at the boy in question, "Our little Scott."

Derek and Scott faced each other, one looking shocked and the other indifferent.

"It doesn't matter." The teenage boy stated before turning his head towards Jennifer.

"We still need to get her out of here."

"Scott, your mom-"

"My mom said there's one more ambulance coming in twenty minutes. And I- I don't think we've been here that long, so if we can get down to the garage, get to the last ambulance, we can get out of here."

"The twins aren't gonna let us just walk out." Peter pointed out.

"I'll distract them."

"You mean 'fight them.'" Derek clarified.

"Whatever I have to do."

"I'll help you."

Jennifer completely blew that plan out of the water by saying, "Um, sorry, but I'm not going anywhere without you, Derek."

Marlee groaned before dropping her head into her hands, completely done with the woman's obsession with Derek.

"I'll do it."

Both Scott and Derek turned their heads towards Peter in surprise.

"But I'd prefer to be out there with an advantage."

"An advantage like what? You mean like a weapon?" Stiles asked.

"Something better than a baseball bat."

"Oh, the shade…" Marlee muttered.

Everyone in the room (except Jennifer, that pain in the ass) began to search in drawers and shelves for something Peter and Scott could use. Marlee positioned herself at the shelves between the ones that the two Hales were looking through.

"Hey, wait. What about these?"

The speaker had been Stiles, who was holding up the paddles of a defibrillator.

"Do you know how to use those?" Derek inquired.

Stiles hesitated before answering, "Well, no."

"Put 'em down."

Marlee stifled a giggle at Derek's order. While turning her head away from Stiles, she noticed that Scott had pulled a syringe with a decent-sized needle out of a drawer.

"Epinephrine?" He called out to Derek.

"That's only gonna make him stronger." The alpha answered.

That quickly caught Peter's attention.

"How strong?"

* * *

Apparently it made Peter strong enough. The man had strolled out of the operating room with the needle still in his chest with Scott just behind him.

The group that had been left in the room waited for the sounds of growling and fighting to start before opening the doors. With one last worried glance at the chaos erupting down the hall, Marlee took off along with the others.

Using their hearing, Derek and Jennifer were able to lead them to the basement without meeting any resistance.

"It's still here!" Stiles informed them as he opened the doors to the garage.

While Jennifer and Stiles held the doors for Derek to carry Cora through, Marlee ran ahead and opened up the back of the ambulance. Stiles rushed over and hopped in, helping to get the unconscious girl into the vehicle.

"Derek, over here."

As the man went to stand beside the druid, the blonde teenager observed the two adults. Seeing them staring at something towards the front of the ambulance, Marlee peeked around the corner. An EMT was lying prone on the cement, a pool of blood growing around him. There was no doubt that he was dead.

Derek and Jennifer moved closer to the body, inspecting its injuries, when a voice eerily echoed through the garage.

" _Julia…"_

Before the sound of footsteps started, Marlee noticed what the others hadn't yet. Bloody footprints led away from the corpse to the front of the van. There was only one person she could think of who would be walking around the evacuated hospital barefoot…

Kali sauntered into view, twirling what were presumably the keys to the ambulance around her index finger.

"It is you." She said when she laid eyes on Ms. Blake.

A hand grasped Marlee's arm. Looking over, she noticed a panicked-looking Stiles watching her. He began to tug on her and when she understood what he was trying to do, Marlee jumped in. The boy hurriedly but quietly shut the doors behind them.

Through the small windows, the duo watched as their companions took off back into the hospital, Kali nowhere in sight.

"Well, this sucks."

Marlee snorted at the young man's statement before replying, "Yeah, no kidding."

Her phone suddenly vibrated in her pocket. Marlee glanced down in surprise, as she had assumed that with the storm, no messages would have come through. She felt guilt twisting in her gut as she saw the number of times her mother had called and texted her but ignored them in favor of Allison's text.

'Isaac, Dad, and I are on our way to the hospital. Almost there. Where did you guys go?'

"Shit." She swore, softly.

Meeting Stiles's curious gaze, she informed him of the message she had received.

"I've got to go out there."

Just as the blonde began to open the doors, her pale friend shut them.

"Are you crazy? There are murderous werewolves crawling all over this place who wouldn't hesitate to rip your throat out."

"Those three have no idea what they're walking into. Someone's gotta warn them."

"Just send them a text message!"

"By the time Allison gets it, it might be too late!"

Marlee went to open the doors again, only to have Stiles place his arm out in front of her.

"I really don't want to have to tell Scott that I let you leave and that's why you got killed."

"I'm not going to get killed. I'm tougher than you think."

This time, she had a plan set in mind- a childish one, but a plan nonetheless. When Stiles reached to stop her, Marlee placed her hands on his arm and twisted them in opposite directions.

"Agh!" The boy cried out in pain as his friend managed to hop out. "Did you seriously just give me an Indian burn?!"

"Yup." Marlee responded, the 'p' making a popping sound. She gave him a salute. "Good luck, soldier."

After shutting the doors, she left the garage and carefully began to navigate her way through the hospital. Of course, that didn't come without its obstacles. Whenever there was any noise at all that sounded like it could possibly be a member of the Alpha pack, she would duck into a room and peek out the window for a minute.

Okay, so, maybe she was going to be killed before the end of the night.

* * *

Shortly after the twins' Voltron form had passed by, Stiles could hear footsteps approaching the ambulance. He nearly had a heart attack when Scott and Peter appeared outside.

"Stiles! Stiles, open the door!"

"Sorry."

"Help me get him in."

After they had gotten injured Peter into the van, the two best friends faced each other again.

"Where's Derek and Jennifer?" Stiles asked.

"I have to go back for them and my mom."

"Okay, two problems. Kali's got the keys to this thing, and I just saw the twins, like, thirty seconds ago.

"I- Wait, where's Marlee?"

Stiles could see the alarm in Scott's eyes as the beta scanned the vehicle for a girl he already knew that he wouldn't find there.

"She went back in there."

Something started banging around just inside, causing the two to look over. Scott turned his attention back to his friend.

"Stay here."

* * *

Eventually, Marlee ended up in an examination room. After spotting the twins' shadow, she had hunkered down in the room. It was only a few minutes later, in the middle of her thinking over a new route, that a group entered.

"So then they're essentially trapped?"

"Whoa!" Marlee shouted in surprise.

And suddenly, she was on the wrong end of a gun.

"Jesus! Would ya mind not pointing that thing right at me?"

Chris Argent lowered his weapon, letting out a quiet sigh of relief.

"Yeah, right." Scott answered the man's question, though he let his eyes rest on the girl for a moment. "There's no way of getting them out without turning the power back on."

Everyone gathered around the table in the middle of the room as the initial shock of running into one another so unexpectedly wore off.

"But wait, wait, wait," Melissa cut in, "if the power's back on, they're gonna hear the elevator moving, right?"

"And they'll be on Jennifer and Derek as soon as it stops." Scott looked to Chris. "We _can't_ get in a fight with them."

Chris nodded before gesturing with his head towards his daughter. "You've got us now."

"It's too much to risk. They want her dead, and if she dies, there's nothing that we can do for Stiles's dad or Cora."

"I don't even think I know which teacher this is."

Isaac answered Chris's question, "She's- she's the one with the brown hair. She's kind of hot."

Every person in the room turned their head towards him, sporting looks of irritation and disbelief.

"Seriously?" Marlee questioned rhetorically, her tone unamused.

"No, it's jus- just an observation." He hastily defended his comment.

After an awkward moment of silence, Allison spoke.

"I've got an idea."

* * *

And with that idea, Isaac and Marlee found themselves sitting in the front seat of the Argents' Toyota. Neither of them spoke, the task at hand making the pair too high-strung. Isaac's phone vibrated after several minutes. Placing his cell in a phone holster, the werewolf accepted the call.

"You ready?" The brunette's faced filled up the screen.

Isaac sighed before replying, "Yeah."

"You're not nervous, are you?"

"Do I look nervous?"

There was a moment of hesitation before Allison answered Isaac.

"No, not at all."

The huntress suddenly went off-camera and her phone started to tilt, so the only thing that the two sitting in the car could see was a hospital hallway.

" _Did he look nervous?"_ Chris asked his daughter.

" _Terrified."_

Marlee snorted before stifling the rest of her laugh with her hand.

"Yeah, I can still hear you, very, very clearly."

Isaac _clearly_ did not find it as funny as his companion did.

Allison's head ducked back into view.

"Just go as soon as you see them, okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I got it."

Isaac hung up with the Argents before letting out a huff of air.

"Hey." Marlee piped up, causing the boy to look at her. "We're gonna kick ass, alright?"

She held out her fist before raising her eyebrows in amusement.

"Those Alphas are al-fucked."

That seemed to release some of the tension that had been building up inside of Isaac; his shoulders relaxed as he let out a chuckle.

"That is still completely terrible." He responded with a hint of a smile.

Despite his words, Isaac fist-bumped Marlee, glad that he wasn't alone in this.

When the first shots were fired, the two in the Toyota knew it was time to get their butts moving. Rocketing towards the garage, they came to a halt next to the ambulance. Marlee unbuckled her seatbelt before slipping out the shotgun seat. She took a few steps back, letting Peter place Cora in the passenger seat, before she opened the other door and climbed into the back. Through the car window, she could see Stiles examining something on the inside of one of the ambulance doors.

"Stiles, let's go!" Isaac gestured to the other boy to get in the car.

Stiles looked at whatever was on the door once again before booking it back into the hospital.

"Stiles!" Isaac called after him.

When it was clear that the sheriff's son wasn't coming back anytime soon, Isaac got into the vehicle. He put the car in 'neutral' and the backup camera appeared on the Toyota's screen.

"Come on, we gotta go. Drive, you idiot." Peter urged.

"I can't. Not without Scott." He protested.

The sounds of gunshots rang out from the front of the hospital, causing the conscious people in the car to turn their heads in that direction.

"Come on, you want the Argents dead too? Make a choice!"

"Isaac!" Marlee shouted as the twins came into view on the camera.

"Oh, for the love of God!" Peter exclaimed in exasperation. "Go, now!"

"All right!"

Isaac shifted into 'reverse' and pressed the gas pedal to the floor. The vehicle's tires squealed as it quickly backed up, causing the twins to scatter. Marlee could practically feel Isaac's reluctance to leave Scott when he stomped on the brakes, the tires screeching. The SUV was put into 'drive' and they swung out of the garage.

Once they had reached the designated meeting spot, the Toyota came to an abrupt halt. Three sets of eyes began to scan their surroundings.

"You see the twins?" Isaac asked.

"No." Peter answered before turning his head to look out the windshield. "But I see the Argents."

Sure enough, Chris and Allison ran out from behind an ambulance.

Isaac, being the sassy little shit that he was, stroked his chin before saying, "Not to bring up uncomfortable memories, wasn't the last time you saw them the time you killed Kate and then they burned you alive? Hmmm?"

The young wolf didn't even notice that as soon as Peter had seen the Argents, he had quickly escaped, leaving Marlee staring after him in amusement. When Isaac did turn around and saw that there was one less passenger, the blonde girl made a face before bailing out of the car.

"Where are the others?" Allison called.

"I don't know. Scott and Stiles went back for Derek and Jennifer. I had to get Cora out."

"Peter ran off with his tail between his legs." Marlee tacked on.

A second later, what they recognized as Derek's car pulled into the parking lot. The only door that opened was the driver's, revealing the owner of the vehicle.

"Where are Scott and Stiles?" Allison inquired.

"Stiles is still at the hospital. He's gonna hold off the cops for us."

Derek pulled his sister out of the Argents' Toyota before telling everyone, "We have to go right now."

 _Wait, where's-_

"What about Scott and Melissa?" Chris Argent didn't miss the fact that Derek hadn't mentioned that little detail.

"Jennifer took Melissa." Derek admitted as he placed Cora in his own car.

All of the blood drained from Marlee's face when she heard that. It took a moment for all of them to grasp what had just been said but it was Allison who eventually spoke again.

"What about Scott?"

The Hale ignored the brunette, walking around the front of his car.

"Derek, where's Scott?" Allison tried once more.

The man stopped in his tracks before turning with a heavy sigh. With his lips pressed together, it looked as if he might not respond.

"Damn it, Derek!" Marlee exploded. "Answer the question!"

"He left with the Alphas."

Silence. There was only silence. No one knew how to process this information.

It was as if Marlee's brain had disconnected from her body. She couldn't feel a thing, physically or emotionally. She couldn't have heard that right. There was no way that she had. As Marlee stared at Derek's face, waiting in vain for the punchline- it all came crashing down on her at once.

He had left. Scott had abandoned them. Deucalion had finally gotten what he wanted.

 _What did you expect? You should know by now that people never stay, especially the people around_ _ **you**_ _. Did you really think that Scott would be any different? Get real. He's just like the rest of them._ _ **Everybody leaves.**_

Despite everything she had said the past couple of weeks, that she wasn't walking away from all of this now… she could have, right there and then. Scott had brought her into this crazy supernatural world and he had left her there alone.

… except she wasn't alone.

Looking at the devastated and defeated faces in front of her, Marlee knew that she couldn't abandon them now. She refused to kick them while they were down.

She would stay and she would fight.

* * *

 **So, Marlee definitely isn't happy with Scott right now.**

 **I would really appreciate some reviews!**


	13. Chapter 13

**First of all, I'd like to say how unbelievably sorry I am about this chapter taking so long to upload. The first month or so, there was a lot going on in my life. It kind of caused me to fall into a slump when it comes to writing for the past couple of months.**

 **I love each and every one of you and I am so thankful if you have stuck with me this long.**

 **I recommend everyone read this next item:**

 **In response to EllieDragon: Your review was one that has stuck with me while writing this chapter. When I first started to write Marlee's story, I was certain that I wanted her to remain human throughout the entire thing. The first time someone suggested that she should have supernatural powers, I was sure that I wasn't going to go down that path. But after a while, I started thinking up a supernatural arc that I am actually intrigued by because I don't think it's been done before. I am still uncertain what to do because I don't want to disappoint or alienate any of my readers. My only hope is that you guys won't be too mad at me for going one way or another. I hope that you'll all continue to follow Marlee's journey, no matter which way it goes.**

 **And also, in response to debatable-cerealkiller: I was delighted to see that you asked about Edgar, especially because I had already written the part that he's in this chapter.**

 **Inspiration for this chapter: "The Lightning Strike (What If This Storm Ends?)" by Snow Patrol, "Find My Way Back" by Eric Arjes, "Revelation" by Dino Meneghin, and "Alone Together is Gospel" (a Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco mashup)**

 **Disclaimer: I own the Decker/Keating clan, Amy Shriner, and the car known as Ron Burgundy. Everything else belongs to the rightful owners.**

* * *

Marlee Decker couldn't sleep.

After the chaos at the hospital, the Argents had driven the blonde girl back to the school so she could pick up her car. Her Oldsmobile was the only vehicle still sitting in the lot, the storm sending citizens home and keeping the authorities away. While Marlee had argued that she wanted to help, Chris had stood firm against her protests.

" _You need to go home and get some rest. Virginia told me that you haven't been sleeping much lately."_

" _Who says I just won't follow you?" The teenager shot back._

" _I'm going to call your mother right now," the hunter pulled his cellphone out of a cup holder, "and inform her that you are on your way home."_

 _Marlee pouted before replying that her mom was probably already freaking out over her whereabouts. She had no idea what she would tell Virginia about where she had been for the past several hours._

" _I'll tell her that you were with Allison and me."_

So, here was Marlee, a mere hour and a half later- all tucked in and wide awake. (The text from Stiles, saying that the name "Argent" had been painted on the elevator doors at the hospital, hadn't helped whatsoever.)

 _This calls for drastic measures._

Slipping out of bed, she padded down the hallway until she reached a closed door. Slowly opening it, she found luminescent amber eyes peering at her.

"Hey," Marlee quietly greeted Edgar, "come 'ere."

The feline stood from where he was perched on the desk before jumping off, landing with a dull 'thud'. Making his way over to his owner, Edgar immediately weaved himself around her ankles, rubbing his face against her pajama pants. Scooping up the cat, Marlee walked them back to her room and quietly shut the door behind her. Crawling back under her covers, she settled in with the creature still in her arms. The gray cat seemed content with just lying there while Marlee absentmindedly stroked his hair.

A phone began to vibrate from her bedside table. When she reached out to grab it, she was only slightly surprised to see Isaac's name on the screen.

"Hello?" Marlee answered in a low voice, not wanting to risk waking up her mother.

"Hey," the werewolf's voice could be heard on the other end, "I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

"Sure. What's up?"

Silence.

"Isaac, I can't do you a favor if you don't tell me what it is."

"I don't… with Scott running off with the Alphas and Jennifer taking Melissa, I would be the only one in the house and I-"

"You don't want to be there alone." Marlee concluded.

"Yeah… so, I was thinking that maybe, if it's not too much trouble-"

"Climb through my window, creeper. I'll get you set up once you get here."

After hanging up the phone, she waited for Isaac's arrival. It was only a few minutes before he was tapping on her window. Much to her cat's dismay, Marlee got up to push her curtains aside and let an exhausted-looking teenage boy slip into her house.

"I'll take the floor; you can sleep in my bed."

"I'm not stealing your bed." Isaac objected. "Just hand me a blanket and a pillow; I'll be fine."

Doing as she was told, Marlee threw the items on the other side of the bed, where the boy would have more room to sleep. She repositioned Edgar and herself so he was curled up near her side table while the blonde occupied the half next to Isaac.

"Comfy?"

"Well, it's better than waiting for a pack of alphas to show up and rip my throat out… or a psychotic English teacher to strangle me."

"Jennifer- Julia- whoever she is, she's after guardians. Unless you have a secret love child out there, I'm pretty sure you're safe."

The werewolf on the floor snorted in amusement.

"Yeah, that won't be a problem. Sadly, I am very much a virgin."

"I mean, same, dude. Except for the 'sadly' part. As cheesy as it is, I'm waiting for the right person."

There was a hesitant moment of silence, neither knowing what to say.

"How are you holding up?" Marlee asked honestly.

"About as well as I can, all things considered…. I miss Boyd and Erica."

"I'm really sorry about what happened to them. Neither of them deserved that. As for you? You are one tough cookie, Lahey. You get knocked down but you come back swinging."

"Boyd and I talked about you, you know? That day when… well, when I sent you that photo of him."

She knew exactly which day he was referring to.

"He liked having you around. You know he accepted the bite from Derek so he would have friends, right? And Erica and I were his friends but it took the bite to bring us all together. You- you weren't bound to him by the whole 'pack' thing and you still tried to be his friend. He really enjoyed that."

The girl smiled in response, pleased to hear that she had made a positive impact.

"I think you and Erica would have been a blonde nightmare if you had ever met."

Marlee placed a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter.

"Good or bad?"

"Good for you two, bad for everyone else."

The worry that had been almost tangible when Isaac first arrived had dissipated as the pair talked more and more. After a bit more chatter, they decided it was probably time for them to settle down for the night. Marlee rolled over so her back was to Isaac. The room was quiet for a few moments before-

"Hey, Isaac?"

"Yeah?"

Marlee hesitated for a second before asking the question that had been plaguing her mind.

"Do you think he's coming back?"

Neither of them needed her to clarify who _'he'_ was.

"Honestly… I think he might. Scott usually knows what the right thing to do is. And he isn't going to stay with them if they're planning on killing Derek."

Though she couldn't see it, Isaac gazed up at Marlee in thought.

"I think he has a lot to come back for."

Minutes later, the two slipped into a semi-comfortable slumber.

The feeling of someone gently shaking her shoulder stirred Marlee awake after a few hours.

"Hey," Isaac whispered, leaning down so the blonde could hear him, "I'm going to head out and go meet up with the Argents. You good?"

Marlee nodded her head, closing her eyes and nuzzling her face against her pillow.

"Mmhm."

Satisfied with that answer, Isaac straightened up before he began to move towards the window. A hand wrapping around his wrist caused him to halt.

"Don't die." Marlee mumbled, still half-asleep.

The werewolf softly chuckled before replying, "I'll try not to."

The girl let her grip slack, her hand falling away from Isaac's arm.

She fell back asleep as the boy crawled out her window and shut it behind him.

* * *

"Up and at 'em, kiddo! You've got school!"

Marlee must have slept through all of her alarms- if she had set them at all- because she awoke to her mother opening her bedroom curtains and letting the light in. It was hard to believe that it had been mere hours since Sc-

 _Don't think about him- it. Don't think about it._

It was only after Virginia had left the room that Marlee was struck by a sudden thought.

Although Allison's father may have been gunning for the Darach, there was no guarantee that he would get her. Even if Jennifer managed to escape from Chris, that didn't mean that she wouldn't go after a different guardian. Another healer had been sacrificed almost immediately after _Scott_ had rescued Deaton. And given the 'relationship' Marlee shared with the deranged individual, it was safe to say that Virginia would be a likely target.

Scrambling for her phone, she quickly scrolled through her contacts and clicked the right one.

"Marlee, dear, what's wrong?"

She gave her grandmother the short version of what had transpired in the past week, her nerves buzzing the entire time. If it wasn't for her previous conversations with the woman, she would have been worried that she sounded insane.

"So, I don't know what to do, Grandma. I can't just let her go out there but I can't tell her what's going on either. She'd have me committed- seriously, there _is_ a mental institution in this town."

"I think you need to tell her the truth."

"Riiiight. And then when you come and visit me in the institution, I can say 'I told you so.'"

"You listen to me, Marlee Decker- the two of you have gone through some terrible things these past few years. Believe it or not, it has only made both of you stronger. I know this situation is beyond anyone's wildest imaginations but I believe that this is something that can be powered through. The bond that you and your mother share is unbreakable and if anyone can convince her that all of this is real, it's you."

Marlee took a deep breath before replying, "I hope you're right."

"I know I'm right and next time the two of us meet, _I_ will be the one saying 'I told you so.'"

The conversation came to an end shortly after that.

Biting her lip, Marlee made her way downstairs, still in her pajamas.

Virginia looked up from her phone and chuckled.

"Celebrating Casual Friday a bit early there?"

"You can't go in to work today." The teenager blurted out.

"What are you talking about, Marls?"

"Listen to me- you just can't, okay? You have to stay home."

"Honey, you're not making any sense here."

Virginia, a look of concern on her face, stood up and moved to stand in front of the anxious girl.

"Mom, do you trust me?"

Marlee gripped her mother's forearms, hoping that she would understand.

"More than anyone." Virginia confirmed, searching for an answer in her daughter's eyes.

The matriarch was led to the couch where the two of them sat down… and Marlee began to tell the story.

Virginia sat there for what seemed to be hours, listening as her child retold the events that had happened in Beacon Hills, spanning several years. At first, she was highly skeptical of the notion that werewolves were real and running around town. But as time passed, she started to believe that maybe it wasn't so absurd. As Marlee spoke, there was so much conviction and sincerity in her words, it seemed highly unlikely that it was a tall tale; what convinced Virginia the most though were the emotions that the young woman displayed. There were times where the teen had to pause in order to compose herself, overcome with anger or sorrow. Marlee's eyes glistened with unshed tears as she choked out what had happened at the motel on the night Virginia had thought her daughter was spending at the Argents'. By that point, there was no doubt in the elder Decker's mind that her daughter wasn't having a mental breakdown and that the supernatural was real.

"I'm so sorry that you had to go through that on your own, sweetheart." The older woman wrapped her arms around her baby girl, rocking her gently. "You are so strong. You know that?"

"I guess." The junior muttered.

"I love you, my little Wild Thing."

Marlee smiled at her mother's words.

When Marlee had been a little girl, there was always a bedtime ritual. Colin and Marlee would make shadow puppets on the ceiling, then either one of her parents would sing a song, and Virginia would finish the routine by reading her daughter a bedtime story. One of their favorite books was _Where the Wild Things Are_. It still wasn't uncommon for the mother to reference the story or tell the young blonde, "Oh, please don't go- I'll eat you up- I love you so!"

"I won't go in to work today but I don't think this Jennifer woman will attack me in a public place. How about you and I go out to lunch and stock up on junk food? Then we can come back here and binge watch eighties' movies."

"Sounds good. But… we might want to keep a gun handy when we're in the house. Just as a precaution."

After Marlee got ready for the day, the pair headed out to a local restaurant and enjoyed a meal together. While they were slightly on edge with the threat of the Darach looming, the atmosphere was almost entirely pleasant. There were no more supernatural secrets between the two of them, everything was out in the open. Following lunch, the duo hit up the supermarket and collected a variety of chips, Nutella, and bottles of flavored sparkling water.

On the drive home, Marlee and Virginia were chatting about the intern that would be starting at the latter's work next week- a lovely young woman named Alice- when the teenager's phone began to ring.

"What's up?"

"Marlee… my- my dad… she took him… she took my dad! He let her take him! I can't- I can't… Marlee, I can't breathe…"

Virginia pulled over the car, looking worriedly at her daughter, whose face had a stricken expression.

"Ally, you've gotta calm down."

Marlee could faintly hear Isaac in the background, trying to comfort the distraught huntress. It didn't seem to be helping though.

"What's wrong?" Virginia questioned.

"Jennifer took Chris. Allison's not doing so hot."

"Can I try talking to her?"

The cell phone was silently exchanged.

"Allison, honey- it's Virginia. I know that this is a scary situation but I need you to breathe, okay? ... Yes, you can. Just focus on my words…. Deep breath in… deep breath out… breathe in… breathe out…"

It must have been working because Marlee's mother occasionally broke out of the repetition to reassure Allison that she was doing great. Finally, Virginia stopped instructing the brunette to take deep breaths.

"I want you to listen to me. Marlee filled me in on everything- yes, _everything_. And after what I've heard, there is no doubt in my mind that if anyone can stop this woman and get your dad and others back, it's you guys. For now, stick with your friend and keep us updated if something changes."

It was hours later before the Deckers heard anything again. They had just finished _The Princess Bride_ and were about to pop _Some Kind of Wonderful_ in when "The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)" started blaring from the device in Marlee's pocket. She quickly answered it, already knowing who it was by the ringtone.

"Stilinski."

"Hey, all of us are meeting Deaton at the clinic to go over our game plan. Be here in the next twenty minutes."

"And by 'all of us', you mean…?"

"Everyone except Scott."

"Of course." The bitterness she felt leaked into her words.

After the call was ended, the energy in the living room seemed to drop.

"Off to save the world?"

"You know it." A smirk played on Marlee's lips.

"Be careful." Virginia spoke quietly to her daughter, giving the younger woman's shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"I'll do my best."

Despite the fact that Stiles had given her twenty minutes, Marlee had jogged upstairs to her bathroom and redid her eyeliner. She figured a fresh coat of war paint couldn't hurt. She descended the stairs and quickly made her exit. Determined to get this over with, she made it to the vet clinic in fifteen minutes flat. Strolling through the doors, she observed the five other people gathered in the room.

"Eh, what's up, Doc?"

Deaton shook his head, faintly amused at the reference.

"Now that we're all here," the man started, "do we have any ideas on where the Nemeton might be?"

Stiles propped his elbows on the examination table as he hunched over it.

"It has to be on a telluric current or maybe even at the axis of two, or where they all intersect. I just know it's where Derek took Paige to die."

Allison planted her hands on the table to support her weight and informed the group, "My dad and Gerard were there once. But Gerard said it was years ago and he couldn't remember where it was. And my dad obviously isn't here to tell us now."

"Yeah, mine either."

"Then how do we find this place?" Isaac spoke up.

The teenagers looked in Deaton's direction, hoping the man would have an answer.

"There might be a way. But it's dangerous."

He turned his head towards the five of them.

 _Oh, don't tell me-_

"We're gonna need Scott."

 _Damn it._

Marlee sighed before replying, "I was afraid you were gonna say that."

* * *

"I hate this plan."

Marlee was leaning up against a wall, staring off into space. While Stiles and Deaton had left to retrieve Scott, the others were scrolling through their phones with the occasional comment. The atmosphere in the room had darkened after the veterinarian had explained what would take place.

"It's the only way." Allison responded as she looked up from her phone, focusing on the other girl.

The blonde looked over at the huntress, her lips forming a frown.

"You sure Gerard doesn't know where it's at? From what I've heard, the guy isn't exactly known for his honesty."

"I don't know. He lied a lot when Scott and I went to see him. Who knows what exactly he was hiding from us?"

Everyone's heads turned to look at the door that Deaton and Stiles were entering through. Mere seconds later, Scott walked in behind them.

"And the prodigal son returns." Marlee muttered as she pushed off from the wall.

Slowly, each person in the room made amends with Scott, exchanging hugs or pats on the shoulder. Eventually, he was standing in front of the one person he was most nervous about confronting.

"Hey." Scott quietly greeted her, shoving his hands in his pockets.

For a brief moment, it seemed as if she wasn't going to say anything but then-

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

"Marlee…" Allison said in a cautious tone as she took a step forward.

Isaac placed a hand on the brunette's shoulder, effectively stopping her.

"Let her have this."

"You left with Deucalion, of all people! Do you have any idea how goddamn stupid that was? In what world is it ever okay to give the bad guy what he wants?"

"Technically, Jennifer is the bad-"

"Don't start!" Marlee barked at Stiles, holding out a hand, her finger up in order to shush him.

Scott merely kept his eyes on the blonde girl, silently listening as she continued to rant.

"How could you do something like that? Did you ever stop to even think about the rest of us? We all want to help you, Scott, but we can't do that when you go running off with a bunch of supernatural sociopaths! You _left_ us!"

All eyes were on her as she let out a sound of frustration.

"You're a real fucking jackass, you know that?" Marlee snapped, glaring at him.

"I know."

 _WHAT?_

And suddenly, it wasn't about Scott abandoning all of them. It was about how he had left without a second thought, without any regards to his own health and safety.

"Is that all you have to say? 'I know'? You- you're impossible! They could have _killed_ you! I know that Deucalion has this weird obsession with you but the man's a cold-blooded killer. He could have cut you open and used your intestines as fucking jump ropes!"

"Ugh, seriously? That's disgusting!" Stiles complained from somewhere behind her but Marlee kept her gaze focused on the werewolf before her.

"I'm sorry." Scott responded without breaking eye contact. "It was something that I needed to do."

There was a moment of a silent tension before Marlee finally broke.

"Damn you and your hero complex." Her voice had lost its severity, giving way to a resigned tone.

She hadn't meant to fly off the handle but after everything that had happened in the past few weeks, she had finally blew her top. It didn't seem as though her victim minded all that much, as he sent her a small smile of understanding before turning to the veterinarian.

"Let's do this."

* * *

Marlee sat off to the side as Isaac, Lydia, and Deaton went about preparing for the ritual. She nibbled her lower lip, observing everyone and everything in the room. She didn't like the idea of three of her friends basically dying but she knew that it was the only option that they seemed to have.

"All right." Deaton said as the ice baths were done being filled. The teens gathered in a group, Marlee joining them and positioning herself between Lydia and Stiles. "What did you bring?"

Everyone looked at the dented piece of metal that Stiles held in his hand.

"Um, I got my dad's badge." He held it up for the druid to see. "Jennifer kind of crushed it in her hand, so I tried hammering it out a bit. Still doesn't look great. Um…"

"It doesn't need to look good if it has meaning." Deaton reassured.

"Is that an actual silver bullet?"

Isaac's incredulous question brought everyone's attention to the small object Allison held at the tips of her fingers.

"Yeah, my dad made it as kind of a ceremonial thing. When one of us finishes learning all the skills to be a hunter, we forge a silver bullet as a testament to the Code."

" _We hunt those who hunt us."_ The hunters' Code, something that Allison had mentioned once or twice, echoed in Marlee's memories.

"Scott?"

Glancing up at his mentor, Scott opened his hand to reveal a watch.

"My dad got my mom this watch when she first got hired at the hospital. She used to say it was the only thing in her marriage that ever worked."

Despite the fact that it was a self-deprecating joke that Melissa would tell, Marlee couldn't help but have the urge to move around Stiles and take Scott's hand in her own. She restrained herself from doing so, knowing that he didn't need that sort of comfort at the moment.

"Okay. The three of you will get in. Each of you will have someone holding you down until you're essentially, well, dead. But it's not just someone to hold you under. It needs to be someone who can pull you back. Someone that has a strong connection to you, a kind of emotional tether."

After a moment of contemplation, Lydia started to move towards Allison, only to be stopped by Deaton.

"Lydia… you go with Stiles."

That was that then. Stiles and Lydia shared a look of understanding as Allison and Isaac wordlessly stood closer together. It didn't take long for everyone to realize who was left. Marlee quickly tried to extract herself from the situation.

"So, that leaves Scott and Dea-"

"I will be overseeing everyone." The veterinarian interrupted, his lips twitching ever so slightly at the teenagers' predicament.

"But- I mean, we- the two of us aren't-"

It wasn't until Marlee's eyes darted in Scott's direction again did she stop her attempted objections. He was gazing at her, anxiously, afraid that she would keep refusing. But when he noticed that she was looking at him, Scott gave her an encouraging smile. With a sigh, Marlee agreed to cooperate.

"Excellent. I'd suggest that the six of you take a moment to say your goodbyes."

"Wow, way to make it sound so final, Doc."

Her partner made his way towards her, looking a bit uncertain.

"Hey, do me a favor and keep this safe."

Scott slid his denim jacket off before holding it out to the blonde. Marlee hesitantly took the article of clothing before folding it up and placing it on one of the chairs next to a wall. The duo split up to talk to the others.

The first person Marlee talked to was Stiles. It was true that the two of them weren't exactly best friends but they each respected the other and enjoyed their presence. The pale boy smirked suddenly, causing the girl to raise her eyebrows in amusement.

"I know you don't like the 'bad juju' or whatever but if I don't make it out of this- I want you to use the Ouija board so we can discuss _The Avengers_ when it comes out."

"Deal."

The pair fist-bumped before the blonde moved on to the nervous-looking young woman.

"Hey," Marlee placed a hand on Allison's shoulder, "you're going to go in there and do your thing. And when you get back, we're going to find him."

The dark-haired girl's lips twitched upwards in gratitude.

While she was definitely worried about the sheriff and Melissa, Marlee couldn't help but worry about Chris the most. From what she had gathered, Allison's mother had died shortly before the end of sophomore year. With everything that had happened to the Argents this year, Marlee wasn't going to let the other girl lose both of her parents within months of each other.

With sad but hopeful looks, the two took a moment to hug each other before pulling apart.

After saying all she needed to say to Allison and Stiles, Marlee turned towards Scott. A lump formed in her throat and she could feel her eyes beginning to sting with tears. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward to embrace him. She wrapped her arms around his neck while he held her by the waist.

"You're coming back, right?" She whispered.

"I'm gonna try." He answered.

Marlee pulled back to stare at him, to look into those brown eyes for what might be the last time. She could remember the first time those eyes had looked at her, a bit dazed from being hit by the now-infamous car. It was not so long ago but to Marlee, it felt like a lifetime. She nor Scott were expecting her next move. She quickly pecked him on the cheek then removed her arms from his neck and backed away. He looked shocked for a moment before sobering up to focus on the task at hand.

"It's time." Deaton confirmed.

The three sacrifices moved to stand at the end of the tubs, hesitantly stepping forward. The trio slowly lowered themselves into the water, getting used to the shocking cold. Their partners hung back a couple of feet, waiting for them to adjust.

"By the way," Stiles turned his head towards his best friend, "if I don't make it back and you do, you should probably know something. Your dad's in town."

Marlee's blue eyes widened as her spine stiffened. She kept her gaze on the back of Scott's head. The werewolf's breathing became a bit heavier at the confession.

"Scott." She whispered, her voice inaudible to everyone except the boy in front of her. (And maybe Isaac- she wasn't sure.) "Scott?"

The slightest turn of the head let Marlee know that he had heard her.

"It's okay. I know it's hard but just forget about him for now. We'll deal with it after we get your mom back."

 _We._

She had said 'We'll deal with it…'

For a moment, Scott and Marlee weren't in the darkened examination room of the veterinary clinic, about to perform a sacrifice. They were back in his bedroom, a box of unopened birthday and Christmas cards sitting between the two of them.

" _What kind of idiot wouldn't want to get to know you?"_

There were so many things that Scott wanted to say to Marlee right then and there but he held his tongue. Although she had been referring to something completely different, he silently vowed that, yes, they would deal with _'it'_ after they got his mom back.

Deaton nodded to the three adolescents standing, giving them the 'go ahead'.

Moving forward, Marlee inhaled deeply before breathing out, briefly calming her nerves. Placing her hands on Scott's shoulders, she pushed down on them until the werewolf was submerged. The ice stung her fingers, slowly starting to numb them, as she waited for Scott to stop breathing. It didn't take long for the ripples to stop. Marlee gently removed her hands from the water, shaking slightly at the idea that Scott was dead at the moment.

 _My life is so fucking weird…_

The four of them stood there, the high school students waiting patiently while the veterinarian simply watched them.

Thirty seconds went by… a minute… two minutes… five minutes…

"I thought you said they would be dead for only a few seconds." Marlee stated as she kept her eyes on the tub in front of her.

"I didn't want to worry them." Deaton confessed.

The girl looked at him in disbelief.

"So you lied?"

"It takes time to reenter the world of the living- for the three of them to make their way back into their bodies." The former emissary explained. "If the lunar eclipse occurs before then, it may be too late to save their parents. I didn't want any of them to attempt anything overly reckless or they might not come back at all."

The three teens were quiet for a moment before Lydia inquired, "What comes next?"

"Now, we wait…"

* * *

It was early in the morning when Isaac left the clinic to go fetch breakfast from a local café. He promised to pick out something for the girls and bring it back. The trio had alternated shifts throughout the night, each of them sleeping for a couple of hours when they weren't keeping watch over the tubs, waiting for any signs of life.

Lydia raised her eyebrows as she finally noticed the extra item of clothing on her friend.

It had been pretty chilly the night before, especially with the ice that the other three were submerged in. Marlee had slipped Scott's denim jacket on before she drifted off to sleep. It had done its job of keeping her warm but what she hadn't expected was the wave of comfort it had brought with it. As much as she wanted to deny it, a small, annoying voice in her mind couldn't help but tell her what she already knew: the feeling of security was because the jacket smelled like Scott. The familiar scent of the werewolf's laundry detergent and something woodsy (probably from constantly running around the preserve) had calmed her nerves and quieted the onslaught of negative thoughts.

"What?" The blonde questioned, seeing the other girl's look.

The genius smirked before replying, "I didn't say anything."

"It's cold in here." Marlee defended, crossing her arms over her chest to further prove her point.

"Uh huh."

Neither of them said a word until Lydia finally worked up the courage to broach the subject.

"I don't understand why you were so set against being Scott's tether."

"I haven't known him that long."

"That doesn't mean anything. Isaac was still pissed about Allison shooting at him with arrows until a couple of weeks ago. Time and emotions don't necessarily correlate."

"You heard what Deaton said. The tether is supposed to be someone that the person shares a strong connection with. It seemed a bit absurd to believe that I fit the bill." Marlee tried to reason.

"But it worked." The banshee countered.

"We don't know that though! He could die in there. What if I wasn't the right person and he doesn't come back?"

Marlee leaned her head back to rest against the wall, closing her eyes, trying to process everything that was being said.

It was quiet for a moment before Lydia spoke again.

"Marlee… he's going to make it back. Scott is one of the most resilient people I have ever met. He isn't going to give up without a fight, especially with what's at stake. You don't have to worry about that. And as for the two of you having a connection… everyone can see it. There are these moments when you'll be talking to Allison or Stiles at lunch and you don't even notice that Scott can't take his eyes off of you. You guys practically light up when you see each other. Besides, if there wasn't a deep connection there, you wouldn't have reacted the way that you did when Scott left with Deucalion or when you first saw him last night. If that isn't enough, we all know what we saw on the bus that morning at the Glen Capri."

Marlee blushed slightly at the memory of waking up and finding herself basically snuggling with the werewolf.

"Stiles asked about it," Lydia continued, "but Scott didn't give anything away. All he said was that the two of you just talked and fell asleep. He tells Stiles practically everything yet he wouldn't say what you talked about. Speaking of which- I know that you two almost kissed the other night."

The redhead hesitated before concluding, softly, "He really likes you, Marlee…"

Marlee's eyes opened before she straightened up in her seat.

"Well, he shouldn't."

"Why not?" Lydia challenged.

"We're not- we're not compatible. I mean, you know about this whole 'True Alpha' thing. Scott has the potential to level up just for being a good person. He's always thinking of others and he tries to look for the best in everyone. But me? I am not a good person. I- I'm angry as fuck and- and I'm impulsive. My personal belief when it comes to people is that they fucking suck. I think love is a complete waste of time. I'm not looking to let someone have the power to try and break me even more any time soon. Besides…"

Marlee turned her gaze towards the tub on the right, the one that held a practically lifeless Scott.

"I'm not what he needs."

* * *

 **So, was this worth the wait? (I hope it was.) Let me know by leaving a review!**

 **And be sure to watch the Season 6 premiere of _Teen Wolf_ tomorrow night!**


	14. Chapter 14

**I have both good and bad reasons it took so long for this to upload but I'm sure you don't want to hear all of them.**

 **In about a week and a half, it will be the one year anniversary of the day I posted the first chapter of JSY. (I will be trying my best to get another chapter or two up before then.) I want to thank everyone who has ever given this story a chance. I never really expected this story to get as far as it has because I honestly thought that no one would want to read about Marlee and her adventures. You all mean so much to me and I don't know how I'll ever repay you.**

 **The next three or four chapters after this one will take place during the three week break between 3A and 3B. You're definitely going to want to read them because a few important things happen. (If you know what I mean.)**

 **Just to clarify something: In this chapter, there will be a couple mentioned that wasn't canon in the show. I know a good chunk of the fandom speculated that this relationship occurred and I decided to add it in here for the hell of it.**

 **As always, you can find me on Polyvore ('earthdiva') and Tumblr ('missunderstoodxoxo')**

 **Inspiration for this chapter: "In the Air Tonight" by Kelly Sweet, "Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (just one or two lines), "Kids" by Mikky Ekko (I'm sure I don't have to say which scene this song influenced)**

 **Disclaimer: I own the Decker/Keating clan, Amy Shriner, and the car known as Ron Burgundy. Everything else belongs to the rightful owners.**

* * *

Allison, Stiles, and Scott surfaced one right after the other, gasping for air. Each of them had a look of urgency in their eyes. Deaton and the girls jumped to their feet, moving towards the soaking teens.

"What?" The veterinarian asked.

"I saw it. I know where it is." Scott spoke first.

"Yeah, we passed it." Stiles claimed as he climbed out of his basin. "There was this stump. This huge tree. Well, it's not huge anymore. It was cut down. But it's still big, though. Very big."

"It was the night we were looking for the body."

"Yeah, the same night you were bit by Peter."

"I was there, too, in the car with my mother. We almost hit someone." Allison added, looking as if she had seen a ghost.

"It was me. You almost hit me." Scott realized.

Turning to his mentor, Scott addressed the three and Isaac, who had rushed in from the waiting area.

"We can find it."

None of the four who had been conscious knew how to delicately approach the situation. How were they supposed to explain that the eclipse was happening in mere hours?

"What?" Allison could sense the hesitation in the air.

Isaac gently started the conversation, "You guys were out a long time."

"How long is 'a long time'?" Stiles questioned.

 _Would it be in poor taste to quote 'The Princess Bride' right now? "You've been mostly dead all day."_

"Sixteen hours." Deaton replied, bluntly.

Gasps of shock escaped the mouths of the sacrifices.

Scott's nerves began to buzz. "We were in the water for sixteen hours?"

"And the full moon rises in less than four."

"Surprise." Marlee managed, weakly holding her arms out to her sides.

* * *

"Welcome back to the world of the living."

Scott easily caught the towel that was thrown in his direction by the blonde girl but did nothing to dry himself off; the towel remained in his clenched fist. The soaked trio all sat on the edge of their tubs, doing their best to warm themselves up.

"If the moon is rising that fast, I need to get back to the Alpha pack soon."

That didn't go over too well with the rest of the room.

"No, dude. You are not going back with them."

"I made a deal with Deucalion." Scott responded to his best friend's objection.

Marlee snorted as she retrieved a first aid kit for Dr. Deaton. "Oh yeah, because I'm sure that guy always keeps his word."

"Does anyone else think that sounds a lot like a deal with the devil?" Stiles asked everyone else.

"Why does it matter anyway?" Isaac inquired, looking to Scott for an answer.

"Because I still don't think that we can beat Jennifer without their help."

"He trusts you more than anyone. Tell him he's wrong." Allison urged the druid.

"I'm not so sure he is. Circumstances like this sometimes require that you align yourself with people you'd normally consider enemies."

"'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.'" Marlee quoted as she handed Deaton the kit, to which the man nodded.

"So we're gonna trust him, the guy who calls himself, 'death, destroyer of worlds'? We're gonna trust that guy?" Isaac looked incredulous.

"I wouldn't trust him, no." The veterinarian amended. "But you could use him to your advantage. Deucalion may be the enemy, but he could also be the bait."

It was quiet for a moment as the high schoolers thought that statement over. The sound of the clinic's front door opening caused everyone's attention to turn to the waiting room.

Deaton swiftly walked through the examination room door, only to find a rather serious-looking Ethan.

"I'm looking for Lydia."

The redhead walked up behind the veterinarian at the sound of her name, Scott following closely.

"What do you want?"

"I need your help." The young alpha answered.

"With what?" Stiles questioned as he moved from around the corner, leaning in the doorway.

"Stopping my brother and Kali… from killing Derek."

"And your plan is what exactly?" Marlee piped up as she peered out from between Stiles and Lydia's shoulders.

"Convince Derek to run."

"Oh, great. That solves _all_ of our problems."

Marlee smacked the pale boy standing next to her on the shoulder for his sarcastic remark.

"Look, Ethan and I will figure it out on the way there," the strawberry-blonde conceded, slipping past everyone, "you guys go find whatever it is you need in order to locate your parents."

"Lydia."

All heads turned in Scott's direction.

"Are you sure about this?"

After a moment of hesitation, the banshee nodded, sure of her decision.

"Okay. Stiles, head home and see if you can find anything of your dad's that we can use to pick up his scent. Isaac and I will go back to Allison's apartment with her, see if we can pinpoint their exact location with her dad's maps- maybe grab a weapon or two."

"I'll call my grandma. She might know a way to slow Jennifer down."

Scott nodded, understanding from previous discussions that Marlee's grandmother had given her cryptic advice before. (And that Delaney was still evading questions about how she knew such things.)

"Where are you going to go?"

"Back to my house. There might be some supplies that we need. Call me when you're headed out to the preserve and I'll meet you there."

Brown eyes captured blue as the young man replied, "Be safe."

Marlee smiled teasingly, despite the dire situation.

"Always."

The group went their separate ways: Ethan and Lydia to Derek's, Stiles to his Jeep and then his house, Marlee to her car, and the other three to the Argents' apartment.

A chill ran up the Decker's spine as she strode towards her Oldsmobile.

 _Must be colder than I thought._ She concluded, despite the vague feeling of being watched, chalking it up to paranoia and anticipation.

She was just pulling her keys and phone out when the ominous and quite irritating chanting became audible.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." She muttered.

Realizing who she was about to encounter, the young woman reluctantly turned around. She barely held back the jolt that went through her body as a result of seeing the deathly pale, scarred-up face mere inches away.

"Hey, Jennifer."

That was all she remembered before everything went black.

* * *

When she finally came to, Marlee hadn't the faintest idea where she was. It was only a moment later that she noticed something was off. She was sat down on the floor of what she could assume was Beacon Hills Preserve, leaning up against a tree. She found that she had been handcuffed, her arms behind her back, and her ankles had been shackled together.

"I borrowed those from the sheriff's station."

She looked up to see Jennifer Blake standing a few feet in front of her, arms crossed and all of her weight resting on one leg.

"By 'borrowed', do you mean 'stole'?" The teen questioned.

The brunette merely shrugged in response.

"So," Marlee continued, "are you planning on sacrificing me? Because I gotta tell ya, the only thing I'm the guardian of is my cat- and he's kind of an independent asshole."

The older woman rolled her eyes as she replied, "As I'm sure you know by now, I already have the three people that I need for my sacrifices."

"What is it then? Because something tells me that you didn't bring me here to discuss the English homework."

Amused by Marlee's statement, Jennifer smirked down at the blonde girl.

"I thought you and I could have a little girl talk."

"I'm guessing we're not going to braid each other's hair and gorge ourselves on ice cream."

"Do you always have to be so sarcastic?"

"I mean, not ' _always'_. I have my serious moments- like when you tried to have my friends kill themselves a couple of weeks ago. I didn't find that situation too amusing."

"It was a necessary evil."

"That's bullshit!" The junior shot back. "How is killing all of these people helping anyone? What makes you no different than the Alpha pack?!"

"Think about all of the people they've murdered in cold blood over the years. They slaughtered their own pack members and their emissaries- not to mention countless others. They killed Erica and Boyd. They're planning to kill Derek tonight. And Deucalion isn't above killing your friend, Scott, either."

Marlee's muscles tensed at that last sentence, something that Jennifer took note of.

"The body count will increase tonight and every day after that unless I stop them now." The Darach continued, hoping to make the young woman sitting before her understand. "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."

"Did you seriously just quote _Star Trek_?"

"You're not the only one who can make pop culture references."

Jennifer sat down, cross-legged, far away enough so the other female couldn't attempt to strike out with her shackled legs.

"You said the Alpha pack killed their emissaries," Marlee brought up, "but they didn't get rid of all of them, did they?"

Jennifer's flinch almost went unnoticed but Marlee caught it.

"You were the one that got away." The teenager inferred.

"How did you know?"

"Well, emissaries are usually druids and you're basically a dark, twisted version of one. Just combine that with the fact that you seem to have a personal vendetta against the Alpha pack."

It was quiet for a moment.

"Kali left me for dead... and I survived. But I wasn't _just_ her emissary. We were lovers."

 _Whoa… talk about a plot twist._

"Does Derek know about this?"

The former English teacher scoffed at that.

"Would you tell someone that you want to be with that you used to be involved with the woman trying to kill him?"

Marlee shrugged as she replied, "I guess not. So, did her thing with Ennis start before or after they began eliminating the rest of their packs?"

At Jennifer's questioning look, Marlee added, "Peter Hale has a big mouth."

The brunette snorted, nodding in understanding.

There a minute of silence before either of them spoke again.

"She loved me," Jennifer's voice had softened now, "but I guess she just loved power more."

"Are you going to able to kill her when the time comes?"

The dark druid's expression darkened before replying, "She's not the Kali I knew anymore- she's not the same woman that I loved."

A fallen tree limb that sat a few yards off to the side suddenly rose up into the air and found its way over to them, falling next to the two women.

"Besides, I'm even more powerful than she is now."

"That is some Darth Vader shit right there."

Jennifer stifled a chuckle.

It was astonishing, the ease with which the conversation between the pair. They both knew where each of them stood in the eyes of the other. There was no bullshit, no attempts at sugarcoating things- only plain and brutal honesty.

"Why are you telling me all of this?"

The Darach was quiet for a moment before answering, "I wanted someone to know. I wanted someone to know that my intentions were good."

"In a really messed up, 'not all that good' kind of way."

"You and I… there's something about you that seems so familiar."

The quick glance she threw towards the Nemeton went unnoticed by the teenager, who was too preoccupied with figuring out what the hell this woman was talking about.

"Okay then… I _really_ don't like the sound of that but whatever."

Looking at the moon's position in the sky, Jennifer commented, "I should be going. It's almost showtime."

As she stood up, the oversized denim jacket finally caught the dark-haired woman's attention. She studied the young blonde intently before speaking again, her tone serious- yet an undercurrent of sorrow and anger was detectable.

"A word of advice: it's never a good idea to let your emotions get the best of you when it comes to werewolves."

And with that, Jennifer Blake made her exit, leaving a gust of wind and a flutter of leaves in her wake.

It was only about half a minute after the Darach had left that Marlee realized that she was still handcuffed and shackled.

"Son of a bitch!"

She sat there for who knows how long, leaning her head back, watching the rumbling clouds light up the sky through the treetops. She caught the occasional glimpse of the full moon, rising higher and higher.

"I see a bad moon a-rising, I see trouble on the way…" Marlee softly sang to herself.

* * *

Allison and Isaac stopped outside of the preserve, Scott quickly pulling up beside them on his bike.

"You okay?" Allison asked Scott.

"I didn't know what to say to him. I couldn't come up with anything. But what you did, that was awesome." He replied, referring to the smoke grenade Allison had used in order to get them away from Rafael McCall and his fellow FBI agents.

"I still haven't gotten anything from Stiles." Isaac reported, looking down at his phone. "You?"

"No. Marlee didn't pick up her phone either. I don't get it."

"All right. Well, we can't wait for them. Come on."

Scott checked his cell one last time before following the other two.

* * *

The wind had significantly picked up, Marlee's hair whipping in her face, as lightning crashed all around her. She was in the eye of the storm.

Movement caught her attention and she found that Isaac and Allison were sprinting towards the clearing.

"Hey!"

"Marlee?" The young man called out before he and the huntress ran over to the tree that the other girl was still sitting against.

"That bitch kidnapped my ass and left me here."

"What did she want?" Allison questioned as the werewolf got to work, using his supernatural strength to break the handcuff and shackle chains.

Marlee hesitated before answering, remembering the more emotional parts of the conversation she and Jennifer had had.

"Just wanted to yell at me for all of the sass I've given her."

If Isaac heard any change in her heartbeat, he didn't mention it.

"Where's Scott?" The blonde questioned as she stood up with Isaac's help, no longer hindered by her restraints. (Other than the fact that they were still fastened around her limbs.)

"He and Deucalion went to find Jennifer."

"That's going to be one hell of a grudge match."

"Let's go!" Allison exclaimed before she took off towards the tree stump, the pair following behind her.

Observing the surrounding area, Isaac locked his gaze on a pair of wooden doors connected to the ground.

"There!"

The trio ran over, Isaac and Allison prying the entrance to the root cellar open. The third member of their group followed them down, just missing the sight of the earth beginning to crumble a few feet away.

Marlee darted over to Melissa and began to untie her.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you." The teenager said over the wind rushing into the cellar.

"Where's Stiles? Where's my son?" The sheriff questioned as Isaac loosened the ropes.

"And Scott?" The older woman added.

"They're coming, all right? They're on their way to help." The beta answered.

"Okay." Melissa breathed out.

The conversation was cut off at the sound of something cracking came from above them. Everyone looked up, a roaring sound filling the room as the ceiling began to cave in.

The teens managed to untie all of the adults quickly, debris falling all around them.

"Hurry!" Isaac shouted, his command punctuated by a unit of shelves tipping over.

More began to topple as the sheriff yelled out, "Come on, let's get out of here."

The six made their way towards the stairs, only to watch the wooden steps fall apart right in front of them.

Everyone except Chris and Isaac stepped back a few feet.

"It's blocked." The former hunter stated before turning to the younger male. "What do you see? Anything?"

Isaac simply shook his head.

A rumbling sound was followed by dirt and wood falling, the roof deteriorating faster.

"Look out!" Chris shouted as he dove towards his daughter and Marlee, shielding both of them as best as he could.

"Isaac!" Allison cried out.

Sheriff Stilinski quickly grabbed the boy by the back of his shirt and pulled him away from the destruction.

Cracks formed in the dirt above them and the support beam began to splinter.

As Stilinski urged Scott's mother to move back, Isaac got to his feet and pushed against the beam with his hands, attempting to hold the ceiling up with his supernatural strength. Marlee and the Argents moved closer to the rest of the group when a wooden pillar next to them snapped in half.

After a couple of moments of this, a visibly sweating Isaac managed to rhetorically ask, "Is it me or is this place getting smaller?"

Despite knowing that they were more likely to get hurt, as they didn't have a werewolf's strength or healing ability, someone darted forward and placed their hands on the beam. Following Marlee's line of thought, everyone moved to collectively crouch and try holding the ceiling up. The sky above them had noticeably begun to emit a yellow glow, rather than the blue light from before.

 _It's started._

Marlee hissed in pain, her limbs starting to tremble under the pressure.

"I can't do it. I can't hold it! I can't hold it!" Isaac confirmed.

"It's too much! It's too heavy!" Allison added on, wincing.

Just as the group began to feel their arms give in… the ground stopped crashing down upon them. All eyes moved to Stiles and the metal baseball bat that was miraculously holding things up as they let their arms fall to their sides.

"I always said aluminum was better than wood." The sheriff stated with a smile.

Stiles moved forward and enthusiastically embraced his father.

"About time you got here, Stilinski!" Marlee called out.

"Better late than never, right?" The pale boy responded.

The blonde felt someone place a hand on her arm and when she pivoted to face them, she was looking at warm brown eyes.

"Scott's okay, right?" Melissa asked the girl that her son seemed to have grown rather fond of.

"The last time I saw him, he was. I'm not so sure about right now. Knowing him though… he'll get us through this."

The older woman smiled in gratitude… and maybe with a hint of amusement, choosing to say nothing when she noticed that Marlee was wearing a rather familiar jacket

The sky above them turned color once again, the light streaming through as blue once more.

"Hey!" Marlee laughed as she carefully threw herself at Isaac and gave him a hug. "Way to go, Wolf Boy!"

The werewolf chuckled, breathlessly, wrapping his arms around her.

"I told you that I'd try to not die."

"Hate to break it to ya- but we're not out of the woods quite yet."

It was only a couple of minutes later when the harsh winds abruptly stopped, a peaceful quiet filling the air.

"Is it over?" Allison asked.

After a moment of assessment, hugs were exchanged between the seven. Marlee sat down next to Isaac and leaned her head against his shoulder, finally letting herself catch a breath of relief.

Stiles' phone began to buzz and he quickly pulled it out of his pocket, holding it up to his ear.

"Scott?... Yeah, we're okay. We're all okay. How 'bout you? Are you okay?"

The answer must have been satisfactory because Stiles continued positively enough.

"Well, you think you can come get us?... Great. Okay, um- uh, bring a ladder."

There was more than one person laughing at that.

* * *

About twenty minutes later, Scott and Derek arrived. Carefully pulling back the wooden doors and sending a ladder down, the two of them helped everyone out of the root cellar. Eventually, only one person was left.

"Hey!" Marlee looked up to see Scott gazing at her, not doing all that great of a job concealing the relief he felt at the sight of her. "You didn't answer your phone."

She accepted the hand that he held out for her, letting him help her step out of the hole.

"Oh, ya know, I was a little too busy being kidnapped by a crazy Darach. My bad, dude."

"What?! Are you okay?"

As they stepped back from the entrance of the cellar, Scott began to scan her form for any signs of injury.

"Scott," Marlee placed a hand on his bicep, "I'm fine. The worst thing she did is put these on me."

Holding her other hand up in the air, the blonde let the broken cuff chain jingle.

"It's all good."

"Okay, okay, good." He breathed out.

"The more important question is, are _you_ okay?"

"Yeah… yeah, I think am."

Though his words seemed unsure, Marlee couldn't shake the feeling that the person in front of her had changed; confidence and authority seemed to radiate off of him.

"There's something different about you." She said.

Scott smiled at her as his eyes flickered bright red.

A grin split Marlee's face as she laughed with delight.

"Oh, man! Congrats on becoming top dog- well, top 'wolf', I guess."

"Thanks."

Startled by the look of fondness that the new alpha was giving her, Marlee quickly withdrew her hand from where it still rested on his _stupidly muscular_ bicep and gestured towards Melissa.

"You should probably go give her another hug. She was worried about you."

"I'll do that."

With one last glance, Scott made his way towards his mother. Left to her own devices, Marlee's eyes landed on the 'beacon' of Beacon Hills. Strolling over to it, she studied the rings in interest, noting the age of the tree.

"You've caused a lot of trouble for an old hunk of wood."

As she placed a hand on the tree stump, Marlee felt a shock in each of her fingertips before a jolt of energy surged up her arm. She jumped back before glancing around, checking to see if anyone else had noticed the incident. Satisfied to see that no one seemed aware of what had just happened, the teenager simply walked away, doing her best to shake off the situation.

 _It's just because the telluric currents converge here and all of this sacrifice business. It was nothing. Absolutely nothing._

"All right, let's get out of here." Stiles's dad suggested.

"Sheriff," Marlee spoke up, gesturing to the broken handcuffs and shackles, "a little help?"

The man laughed before replying, "If someone can give us a ride back to the station, I'd be more than happy to get those off of you."

As the group began to make its way towards the edge of the preserve, the Decker girl decided to tack on, "I don't know about you guys but after I get these things off, I'm going to go home and sleep for a week."

* * *

 _"The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed sombre under an overcast sky – seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness." – Heart of Darkness_ by Joseph Conrad

When Deaton asked a few days later about Derek's departure with Cora, who had decided that she wanted to return to South America, Scott answered, "I honestly don't know if he's ever coming back. Part of me hopes so, but another part hopes that maybe he'll be okay somewhere else."

Thinking of other departures, or lack thereof, he followed it up with "My dad doesn't look like he's gonna be leaving for a while. But just because he's staying… doesn't mean he's welcome."

Without the veterinarian needing to say any words, Scott knew what he was asking with his eyes.

 _Scott walked through the doors of Beacon Hills High School, observing the roaming students who were all oblivious to the true nature of the world around them._

"Stiles and I both feel it every day. Just like you said we would. And it makes me think about that quote Jennifer used to start our first class. Because when I feel it, it's like I'm looking 'into the heart of an immense darkness.'"

"So what do you do instead?" Deaton inquired.

"I look for my friends."

 _Hanging out by a row of lockers, Lydia and Aiden were chatting and staring into each other's eyes, a strange combination of coy and affectionate. Across the hall from those two, Danny and Ethan walked out of a classroom, holding hands. Both of them looked incredibly happy to be around the other. Walking down a set of stairs were Isaac and Allison, the brunette laughing at something the beta had said._

 _A tap on his right arm caused Scott to turn his upper body a bit, only to find no one there. Facing forward once again, he noticed a head of blonde wavy hair walking away, having strolled past him. Marlee threw him a look over her shoulder_ _, a genuine grin spreading across her face as she made eye contact with the new True Alpha. Scott noticed that the girl looked more carefree than he had ever seen her in the time that he had known her._

 _He felt his lips quirk upwards at the sight._

 _Suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder and another patting him on the chest. Turning his head to the right, Scott smiled at his best friend. The two of them began to make their way down the hall together… smiles slowly fading as their new reality set in once again._

 ** _Kids… kids… kids are gonna do what they want..._**

* * *

 **And there you go! End of 3A.**


End file.
